LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 

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Conference 


on 


Welfare   Work 


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Waldorf-Astoria,  New  York  City 


Digitized  by  the 'Internet  Archive 

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http://www.archive.org/details/conferenceonwelfOOnatirich 


No.  Description. 

56 — System  of  piping  to  throw  fresh  air  in  the  faces  of 
men  working  over  molten  metal.  Previous  to  its  in- 
stallation the  men  would  frequently  "  keel  over."  It 
has  greatly  increased  the  comfort  of  the  men  and  its 
cost  has  been  met  many  times  by  the  steady  output 
insured. 

57 — System  for  exhausting  the  dust  from  emery  wheels. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


Conference 

on 

Welfare  Work 

Held  at  the 

Waldorf-Astoria,  New  York  City 
March  i6,  1904 

Under  the  Auspices  of 

The   Welfare    Department    of  the    National 
Civic  Federation 


flew  H^orlt 

ptC88  Of  Bndrew  f).  tRellogg  Co. 

1004 


■(.^^ 


-VV- 


.■^f 


Copyright,  1904 

BY 

Gertrude  Beeks 


G^mHiS^c^^  144 


OF  THE 

.UNIVERSITY 

OF 


PREFACE 

np  HE  report  of  the  proceedings  of  the  first  conference 
-''  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Welfare  Department 
of  the  National  Civic  Federation  forms  the  subject  mat- 
ter of  this  volume.  The  discussion  at  the  conference  illus- 
trated the  purpose  and  scope  of  welfare  work  and  the 
methods  of  its  practical  application  in  several  totally  dif- 
ferent industries.  Those  who  took  part  in  this  discussion 
were  employers  and  representatives  of  employers  who 
had  been  placed  in  personal  direction  of  welfare  work. 
These  addresses  include  descriptions  of  efforts  to  better 
the  conditions  under  which  employees  work  or  live; 
their  value  may  be  increased  by  a  general  view  of  the  sub- 
ject embraced  in  the  term  welfare  work,  and  a  presenta- 
tion of  deductions  drawn  from  the  conference. 

WELFARE    WORK   DEFINED. 

Welfare  work  involves  especial  consideration  for 
physical  comfort  wherever  labor  is  performed;  oppor- 
tunities for  recreation ;  educational  advantages ;  and  the 
providing  of  suitable  sanitary  homes :  its  application  to 
be  measured  by  the  exigencies  of  the  case. 

FIRST    ESSENTIALS    STEADY    WORK_,    FAIR    WAGES_,    AND 
REASONABLE    HOURS. 

The  first  essentials  to  the  welfare  of  the  employee  are 
steady  work,  an  equitable  wage,  and  reasonable  hours  of 
labor.    It  is  an  economic  truth  that  employment  without 

V 


175752 


vi  PREFACE. 

interruption  is  of  the  first  importance  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  wage  earner.  The  employer,  however  exacting, 
whose  foresight  and  good  management  make  steady  work 
possible  is  a  greater  benefactor  than  can  be  the  em- 
ployer, however  benevolent,  whose  business  is  of  spas- 
modic activity.  Hunger  is  only  a  fortnight  behind  the 
average  worker  thrown  into  idleness. 

The  payment  of  the  market  wage  creates  in  the  mind 
of  the  worker  confidence  in  the  justice  and  fair  dealing  of 
the  employer.  This  confidence  is  absolutely  essential  to 
the  prosecution  of  welfare  work,  which  must  fail  when- 
ever the  workers  are  led  to  suspect  that  its  cost  is  taken 
from  their  wages.  It  is  difficult  to  explain  to  employees 
that  the  total  cost  of  welfare  work  in  any  establish- 
ment, if  distributed  among  them,  would  be  individually 
an  infinitesimal  amount. 

The  relation  of  the  hours  of  labor  to  welfare  work  lies 
in  their  effect  upon  the  physical  health  of  employees  and 
in  the  opportunity  they  leave,  especially  where  there  is 
much  "overtime,"  for  recreation  and  education  after  the 
close  of  the  day's  work.  It  is  recognized  that,  where  com- 
petition is  keen,  a  reduction  in  hours  can  only  be  brought 
about  by  agreement  involving  practically  all  the  com- 
petitors in  a  given  industry. 

EACH   INDUSTRIAL  ESTABLISHMENT  A   SEPARATE  PROBLEM. 

It  is  shown  that,  in  the  application  of  welfare  work, 
every  industrial  establishment  presents  in  itself  a  sepa- 
rate problem,  requiring  special  study.  Every  beginning  is 
an  experiment.  Every  general  rule  has  its  exceptions. 
Nevertheless,  while  the  welfare  work  in  any  single  es- 


PREFACE.  vii 

tablishment  can  not  as  a  whole  be  applied  to  another,  it 
is  demonstrated  that  various  features  can  be  adapted  to 
the  special  conditions  peculiar  to  a  particular  concern.  It 
is  shown  also  that  welfare  work  is  of  value  in  small  as 
well  as  in  large  establishments. 

SPECIAL  SUPERVISION   OF  WELFARE  WORK    NECESSARY. 

A  general  rule  for  all  welfare  work  in  large  concerns 
is  that  its  successful  conduct  requires  the  employment  of 
a  welfare  manager.  This  manager  should  not  only  pos- 
sess tact,  executive  ability,  common  sense,  acquaintance 
with  local  jealousies  and  sometimes  with  racial  prejudices, 
but  a  knowledge  of  industrial  subjects.  He  must  recog- 
nize and  in  no  way  interfere  with  the  authority  of  the 
superintendents,  who  are  responsible  for  the  successful 
operation  of  their-  departments,  the  administration  of 
labor,  and  the  maintaining  of  discipline.  He  must  gain 
in  advance  their  full  approval  of  each  effort,  and  use 
every  proper  method  to  enlist  their  full  cooperation.  He 
must  have  the  patience  to  endure  the  slow  realization  of 
his  plans.  In  time  it  will  become  evident  that  they  are 
for  the  benefit  of  all,  of  the  employer  and  of  the  executive 
chiefs  as  well  as  for  the  mass  of  employees. 

Many  employers  would  introduce  welfare  work  into 
their  establishments  were  it  not  for  the  time  and  trouble 
needed  for  its  organization.  The  employment  of  a  wel- 
fare manager  removes  this  obstacle.  Successful  prose- 
cution of  welfare  work  requires  concentration  of  respon- 
sibility. All  of  its  branches  must  be  under  the  super- 
vision of  one  person,  or  efforts  in  different  directions  may 
conflict,   or   special   and,   perhaps,   pressing  needs   may 


viii  PREFACE. 

escape  attention.  Pressure  of  daily  business  routine 
usually  relegates  welfare  work  to  the  last  consideration. 
This  is  another  reason  why  in  large  establishments  it 
should  receive  the  entire  time  and  attention  of  one  person. 
Welfare  work  has  sometimes  been  started  enthusiastically, 
but  has  afterward  failed  because  there  was  no  one  person 
to  keep  its  operation  active  and  apace  with  daily  needs. 

THE    WELFARE    MANAGER. 

Scientific  welfare  workers  at  this  conference  objected 
to  the  use  of  the  term  "  Social  Secretary  "  as  descriptive 
of  their  duties.  The  term  was  regarded  as  misleading 
and  too  narrow  to  include  the  scope  and  responsibilities 
of  the  position.  It  was  determined  to  substitute  "  Wel- 
fare Manager."  This  seemed  consistent  with  the  use 
of  the  term  "  Welfare  Work  "  as  embracing  the  efforts 
in  different  establishments.  It  further  accords  with  the 
designation  "  Welfare  Department "  adopted  by  the  Na- 
tional Civic  Federation. 

ACTIVE   PARTICIPATION   OF  THE   EMPLOYER  REQUISITE. 

The  part  of  the  employer  in  welfare  work  invites 
special  comment.  His  active  participation  and  that  of 
the  executive  heads  of  the  business  in  the  work  is  a  prime 
requisite  to  its  success.  The  employer  should  not  ex- 
pect demonstrations  of  appreciation  or  expressions  of 
gratitude  for  his  fulfilment  of  a  moral  obligation.  Nor 
should  he  expect  welfare  work  to  avert  a  strike  against 
unjust  conditions.  The  question  is  often  asked  whether 
the  employer  should  take  the  initiative  in  welfare  work  or 
await   suggestions   from   employees.     In  practice,   it  is 


PREFACE.  ix 

found  that  whenever  an  initial  step  is  tak^n  by  the  em- 
ployer to  meet  an  urgent  need,  abundant  suggestions  for 
his  consideration  of  further  betterments  will  follow  from 
employees.  It  is  essential  in  taking  this  initial  step,  how- 
ever, that  confidence  in  the  employer's  motive  should  be 
unquestioned  by  the  employees. 

CONFIDENCE   IN   THE   EMPLOYER'S    MOTIVE. 

The  employer  must  show  that  his  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  the  employees  is  genuine.  In  securing  confidence  of 
employees  at  the  outset  of  welfare  work,  it  is  necessary 
in  unionized  establishments  to  explain  its  purposes  to  the 
union  officers;  and  in  non-union  establishments  it  is  im- 
portant to  obtain  the  cooperation  of  selected  committees 
of  the- employees.  This  may  sometimes  be  promoted  by 
the  printing  of  placards  in  different  languages. 

SHOULD    NOT    BE   USED   FOR   ADVERTISEMENT. 

The  employer,  it  has  been  shown,  should  not  pervert 
welfare  work  into  an  advertisement  for  his  business. 
This  impugns  his  motive  and  discredits  the  plan.  When 
publicity  is  inevitable,  there  should  be  care  that  the  sub- 
ject is  treated  in  a  dignified  manner. 

PATERNALISM    AND   THE   DEMOCRATIC    PLAN. 

The  spirit  of  welfare  work  must  not  be  that  of  con- 
descension, nor  have  the  appearance  of  thrusting  benefits 
upon  subordinates,  nor  rob  the  worker  of  self-respect. 
But  any  effort  at  welfare  work  may  be  regarded  as  more 
or   less   paternalistic.     A   resort   to   direct   paternalism, 


X  PREFACE. 

however,  is  necessary  or  desirable  only  for  recent  immi- 
grants who  in  their  native  lands  have  been  accustomed 
to  the  guardianship  of  superior  authority.  Going  to  the 
other  extreme,  in  the  so-called  democratic  idea,  is  also  to 
be  avoided.  When  their  confidence  has  been  gained,  em- 
ployees will  generally  prefer  to  entrust  the  direction  of 
welfare  work  to  the  employer.  The  need  of  relaxation 
and  the  natural  impulse  homeward  should  not  be  denied 
or  checked  during  intermissions  or  at  the  close  of  the 
working  day  by  tgo  much  committee  work.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  chief  purpose  of  committees  of 
employees  is  advisory  and  to  enlist  their  interest,  rather 
than  to  initiate  or  execute  welfare  plans.  Committee 
work  is  also  valuable  in  developing  among  the  employees 
a  spirit  of  helping  one  another. 

SOME   CAUSES  OF  FAILURE. 

Especial  inquiry  has  been  made  into  cases  of  failure 
in  welfare  work,  in  order  to  ascertain  its  causes.  One 
cause  of  failure  has  been  found  in  its  too  rapid  intro- 
duction. As  a  general  rule  improvements  should  be 
adopted  gradually,  so  that  the  workers  may  become  ac- 
customed to  them.  For  example,  if  an  employer  were 
suddenly  to  erect  a  fine  club  house  at  an  impressive  ex- 
pense, the  workers  might  conjecture  that  its  cost  was  in 
some  way  to  be  taken  out  of  their  own  pockets.  If  a 
library  is  not  patronized  by  employees,  its  failure  may  be 
caused  by  the  absence  of  interesting  catalogues  for 
leisurely  inspection  in  the  homes,  or  by  lack  of  special 
effort  to  overcome  diffidence  in  frequenting  the  library 
building.    Prices  charged  for  luncheons  may  be  too  high 


PREFACE.  XI 

for  wages  in  a  given  industry.  A  lunch  room  may  not 
be  patronized  because  it  is  untidy,  or  unattractive,  or  too 
small,  or  because  there  is  no  place  for  men  to  smoke. 
Elaborate  toilet  facilities  with  cold  water  only  and  no 
soap  may  be  scorned  for  the  drilling  compound,  which  re- 
moves oil  from  the  hands.  In  brief,  failures  are  usually 
traceable  to  insufficient  preliminary  study  of  the  par- 
ticular need  to  be  met.  This  study  may  often  be  for- 
warded by  enlisting  the  cooperation  of  committees  of  the 
employees.  There  have  been  some  failures  of  welfare 
work  not  justly  chargeable  to  its  conduct.  These  have 
been  brought  about  by  a  change  of  management  in  the 
establishments  concerned,  the  new  management  showing 
opposition  to  what  had  been  done  before. 

PHYSICAL   WELFARE  OF  PRIMARY   IMPORTANCE. 

The  beginning  of  all  welfare  work  must  be  directed 
toward  meeting  the  pressing  necessities  for  the  physical 
well  being  of  the  employees  in  their  place  of  work.  These 
most  pressing  needs  are  provisions  for  cleanliness,  pure 
drinking  water,  adequate  toilet  rooms,  ventilation,  light, 
separate  lockers  for  outdoor  clothing  and  dressing  rooms. 
In  some  industries,  provisions  for  cleanliness  should  in- 
clude especial  attention  to  the  relief  of  men  whose  toil 
induces  profuse  perspiration.  There  should  be  free 
laundries  for  washing  their  working  clothing.  Baths  will 
be  of  benefit  and  will  be  much  used.  Ventilation  in  fac- 
tories should  include  devices  for  removing  dust.  Much 
suffering  in  such  superheated  places  of  labor  as  rolling 
mills,  foundries,  and  forge  shops  can  be  relieved  at  com- 
paratively small  expense,  while  more  attention  should  be 


xii  PREFACE. 

paid  to  damp  substructures  and  unnecessarily  cold  and 
drafty  places.  Abundant  light  is  important  to  cheerful- 
ness as  well  as  to  health. 

All  of  the  details  that  have  been  specified  are  primary. 
They  are  literally  the  first  letters  of  the  alphabet  of  wel- 
fare work.  Yet  these  very  things,  simple  as  they  seem,  are 
of  the  utmost  practical  value  to  the  employer.  The  one  pro- 
vision for  cleanliness  alone,  for  example,  improves  the 
spirit  of  every  worker  as  well  as  the  health,  and  raises 
the  entire  moral  tone  of  the  force,  even  improving  dis- 
cipline. Taken  together,  all  the  separate  provisions  that 
have  been  noted  have  the  effect  of  attracting  to  any  es- 
tablishment a  higher  and  more  constant  class  of  labor. 
Workers  everywhere  enjoy  and  will  seek  improvements 
in  the  surroundings  in  their  hours  of  toil. 

A  further  step  toward  physical  welfare  of  employees 
is  the  establishment  of  lunch  rooms.  The  importance  of 
the  midday  meal  to  health  and  vigor  is  obvious.  Any 
establishment  should  at  least  provide  a  place  to  keep  from 
spoiling  or  drying  the  prepared  food  brought  from  home. 
A  still  further  step  will  be  care  for  the  sick  and  injured. 
It  is  but  humane  to  furnish  a  couch  on  which  a  prostrated 
woman  may  be  restored,  instead  of  permitting  her  to  lie 
on  the  floor  or  on  two  chairs.  Wherever  serious  accidents 
in  a  factory  are  likely  to  occur,  a  doctor  should  be  con- 
tinually present.  Under  this  head  also  would  fall  the 
guarding  of  machinery. 

PROTECTION    FOR   WOMEN   WORKERS. 

In  applying  these  primary  beginnings  of  any  system  of 
welfare  work,  several  moral  questions  are  encountered. 


PREFACE.  xiii 

In  factories  where  both  men  and  women  are  employed, 
it  is  desirable,  though  unfortunately  not  always  possible, 
to  separate  by  a  period  of  three  or  five  minutes  their 
times  for  beginning  and  quitting  work.  This  simple  pre- 
caution for  the  protection  of  the  feminine  element  among 
the  employees  of  any  large  establishment  has  the  eifect  of 
preserving  respect  for  womanhood.  Experience  shows  that, 
where  this  system  prevails,  the  establishments  soon  acquire 
a  higher  tone.  An  additional  protection  is  the  employ- 
ment of  a  matron,  who  will  also  be  a  confidential  adviser 
and  render  temporary  relief  in  cases  of  illness.  When  the 
general  morale  of  a  factory  is  not  in  good  repute,  it  is 
difficult  for  the  employer  to  induce  desirable  working- 
women  to  accept  employment. 


RECREATION. 

After  providing  for  immediate  physical  needs,  the 
recreation  of  employees  is  the  next  step  in  welfare  work. 
Here  again  the  peculiarities  of  individual  establishments 
must  be  considered.  A  gymnasium,  for  example,  would 
be  desirable  only  in  establishments  where  the  work  is 
more  or  less  sedentary,  so  that  the  employees  are  in  need 
of  exercise,  or  for  the  young  men  and  women  employed 
in  factories.  A  gymnasium  would  be  superfluous  in  a 
place  where  the  work  itself  involved  severe  bodily  ex- 
ertion. Athletics,  both  indoor  and  outdoor,  are  highly  de- 
sirable. They  may  involve  organizations.  In  large  es- 
tablishments, the  plan  of  recreation  may  include  a  club 
house,  with  rooms  for  dancing,  entertaining,  and  for 
games.    The  entertainments  may  include  music  and,  per- 


xiv  PREFACE. 

haps,  lectures,  which  approach  a  further  development 
of  welfare  work — that  looking  to  the  education  of  em- 
ployees. 

EDUCATIONAL   EFFORTS. 

The  possibility  of  extending  welfare  work  to  the  educa- 
tion of  employees  is  contingent  upon  the  hours  of  labor. 
A  scheme  of  education  may  begin  with  technical  classes 
for  the  younger  men,  and  may  include  instruction  de- 
signed to  replace  the  loss  of  earlier  schooling.  Women 
employees  may  be  taught  to  help  themselves  in  such 
ways  as  in  millinery,  dressmaking,  cooking,  and  all 
household  affairs;  and  in  some  pursuits  they  may  also 
profitably  receive  technical  instruction.  In  a  large  set- 
tlement a  kindergarten  may  be  provided.  The  instruc- 
tion of  children  becomes  a  direct  contribution  to  better 
citizenship  when  the  parents  employed  are  largely  immi- 
grants. A  company  may  publish  with  advantage  a 
periodical  in  the  several  tongues  used  by  the  workers. 
Sometimes  an  establishment  may  be  so  large  that  its  plan 
of  education  may  come  into  cooperation  with  the  muni- 
cipality, or  may  even  assume  all  the  functions  ordinarily 
performed  through  municipal  agencies.  This  has  been 
the  case  in  towns  which  have  been  created  for  the  in- 
dustry, where  the  company  has  been  obliged  to  provide 
public  schools  as  well  as  churches  and  social  halls. 

HOMES   OF   EMPLOYEES. 

Welfare  work  concerns  itself  also  with  the  housing 
of  employees.  The  two  purposes  to  be  kept  in  mind  in 
this  branch  of  the  work  are  the  health  and  the  self-respect 


PREFACE.  XV 

of  the  employee.  The  reflex  social  and  moral  influence 
upon  the  people  of  a  community  in  encouraging  attractive 
home-making  is  of  far-reaching  consequence.  A  system 
must  command  admiration  and  approval  that  began  the 
creation  of  an  industrial  center  with  a  drainage  system, 
a  supply  of  pure  water,  paving  and  curbing,  and  other 
public  works,  not  a  lot  being  sold  or  a  house  built  until 
after  these  safeguards  of  health  had  been  provided.  The 
same  plan  included  a  system  for  saving  and  lending  money 
that  enabled  a  majority  of  the  employees  to  own  attractive 
homes. 

PLANS  FOR  SAVING  AND  LENDING  MONEY. 

Mutual  plans  for  saving  and  lending  money  have 
proved  highly  beneficial  to  employees,  through  protecting 
them  in  times  of  stress  against  the  extortions  of  the 
"  money-shark." 

INSURANCE   AND  PENSIONS. 

Beneficial  societies  are  quite  commonly  included  in  wel- 
fare work.  Both  compulsory  and  voluntary  organiza- 
tions of  this  character,  as  well  as  several  pension  plans, 
are  discussed. 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The  photographic  views  in  this  volume  are  intended  to 
illustrate  not  alone  the  topics  discussed  in  the  conference, 
but  also  other  efforts  to  better  the  conditions  of  employees. 
They  are  but  a  limited  selection  from  a  large  collection. 
The  photographs  contributed  by  any  one  of  several  large 
establishments  would  have  sufficed  to  illustrate  the  most 
important  features  of  welfare  work. 

Gertrude  Seeks,  Secretary. 


No.  Description. 

60 — Men's  Club  House  in  a  mining  district. 

61 — Sitting-room  in  men's  club  house,  showing  the  bar. 
In  this  mining  district  an  experiment  is  being  made 
to  combat  evil  outside  influences.  Club  houses  with 
bars  have  been  provided  in  three  camps.  In  one  soft 
drinks  only  are  sold.  In  another,  the  privileges  of 
the  bar  are  leased  to  the  man  in  charge,  with  the 
understanding  that  he  may  be  dismissed  for  breach 
of  contract.  In  the  third,  liquors  of  all  kinds  are 
sold,  the  highest  prices  being  charged  for  the  strong 
drinks  and  cheap  rates  for  those  containing  less  alco- 
hol.   No  treating  is  permitted  at  this  place. 


xvi 


OF  THE 

or 
.'UFORN^ 


Welfare    Department 
The 

National  Civic  Federation 

Headquarters 
281   Fourth  Avenue,  New  York 


OFFICERS. 

H.  H.  VREELAND,  Chairman 
CYRUS  H.  McCORMICK,   ist  Vice-Chairman 
JOHN  H.  PATTERSON,  2d  Vice-Chairman 
EDWARD  A.  FILENE,  3d  Vice-Chairman 
CORNELIUS  N.  BLISS,  Treasurer 

EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE. 

George  W.  Brown  (Treasurer  United  Shoe  Machinery  Com- 
pany), Boston,  Mass. 

G.  E.  Emmons  (Manager  Schenectady  Works  General  Electric 
Company),  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

Edward  A.  Filene  (Treasurer  William  Filene's  Sons  Company), 
Boston,  Mass. 

F.  S.  Fish   (Chairman  Executive  Committee  Studebaker  Manu- 

facturing Company),  South  Bend,  Ind. 
W.  C  Fish  (Manager  Lynn  Works  General  Electric  Company), 
West  Lynn,  Mass. 

G.  Watson  French    (President  Bettendorf  Metal  Wheel  Com- 

pany), Davenport,  Iowa. 

Orrin  S.  Goan  (Manager  National  Biscuit  Company),  New  York 
City. 

William  C  Greene  (Treasurer  Peace  Dale  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany), Peace  Dale,  R.  I. 

B.  J.  Greenhut  (Treasurer  Siegel-Cooper  Company),  New  York 
City. 

xvii 


F.  R.  Hazard  (President  The  Solvay  Process  Company),  Syra- 
cuse, N.  Y. 

H.  J.  Heinz  (President  H.  J.  Heinz  Company),  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Edwin  M.  Herr  (Vice-President  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Co.), 
Wilmerding,  Pa. 

Charles  W.  Hubbard  (Treasurer  Ludlow  Manufacturing 
Associates),  Boston,  Mass. 

Charles  H.  Hulburd  (President  Elgin  National  Watch  Com- 
pany), Chicago,  111. 

John  S.  Huyler  (President  Huyler's),  New  York  City. 

M.  E.  Ingalls  (President  C,  C,  C,  &  St.  L.  Ry.  Co.),  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio. 

John  F.  P.  Lawton  (Assistant  Treasurer  and  Secretary  Gorham 
Manufacturing  Company  of  Rhode  Island),  Providence, 
R.  I. 

Warner  M.  Leeds  (Vice-President  American  Sheet  and  Tin 
Plate  Company),  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Arthur  T.  Lyman  (Treasurer  The  Boston  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany), Boston,  Mass. 

W.  G.  Mather  (President  Cleveland  Cliffs  Iron  Company), 
Qeveland,  Ohio. 

Cyrus  H.  McCormick  (President  International  Harvester  Com- 
pany), Chicago.  111. 

L.  A.  Osborne  (Vice-President  Westinghouse  Electric  and  Manu- 
facturing Company),  East  Pittsburg.  Pa. 

John  H.  Patterson  (President  National  Cash  Register  Com- 
pany), Dayton,  Ohio. 

H.  D.  Perky  (President  Natural  Food  Company),  Niagara 
Falls,  N.  Y. 

A.  J.  Pitkin  (President  American  Locomotive  Company),  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Ellison  A.  Smyth  (President  Pelzer  Manufacturing  Company), 
Pelzer,  S.  C. 

Nathan  Straus  (R.  H.  Macy  &  Company),  New  York  City. 

H.  H.  Vreeland  (President  New  York  City  Railway  Company), 
New  York  City. 

Ralph  M.  Easley  (Chairman  Executive  Council,  National  Civic 
Federation),  New  York  City. 


xvm 


Members 

of  the 

Welfare    Department 


Edgar  E.  Adams  (The  Cleveland  Hardware  Company),  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

John  J.  Amory  (President  Gas  Engine  and  Power  Company 
and  Charles  L.  Seabury  Company),  New  York  City. 

D.  M.  Anderson  (General  Manager  St.  Regis  and  Taggarts  Paper 
Companies),  Watertown,  N.  Y. 

R.  D.  Apperson  (President  Lynchburg  Traction  and  Light  Com- 
pany), Lynchburg,  Va. 

Newton  D.  Arnold  (Treasurer  Rumford  Chemical  Works), 
Providence,  R.  L 

A.  S.  Baker  (President  Baker  Manufacturing  Company),  Evans- 
vUle,  Wis. 

L.  K.  Baker  (Secretary  and  Treasurer  J.  S.  Stearns  Lumber 
Company),  Odanah,  Wis. 

F.  C.  Ball  (President  Ball  Brothers  Glass  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany), Muncie,  Ind. 

S.  Thurston  Ballard  (Secretary  Ballard  &  Ballard  Company), 
Louisville,  Ky.- 

George  H.  Barbour  (Vice-President  and  General  Manager  The 
Michigan  Stove  Company),  Detroit,  Mich.. 

George  W.  Brown  (Treasurer  United  Shoe  Machinery  Com- 
pany), Boston,  Mass. 

Wn^LiAM  BuTTERWORTH  (Treasurer  Deere  &  Company),  Mo- 
line,  111. 

C.  A.  Chase  (President  Syracuse  Chilled  Plow  Company), 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Frederic  S.  Clark  (Treasurer  Talbot  Mills),  North  Billerica, 
Mass. 

W.  L.  Clause  (President  Columbia  Chemical  Company),  Pitts- 
burg, Pa. 

J.  H.  Cummings  (Vice-President  John  B.  Stetson  Company), 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

H.  R.  Dalton,  Jr.  (Treasurer  and  Manager  Chapman  Valve 
Manufacturing  Company),  Indian  Orchard,  Mass. 

xix 


H.  J.  Davies  (Secretary  The  Cleveland  Electric  Railway  Com- 
pany), Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Thomas  Devlin  (President  Thomas  Devlin  Manufacturing 
Company),  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

J.  H.  DoRT  (President  Durant-Dort  Carriage  Company),  Flint, 
Mich. 

Ralph  M.  Easley  (Chairman  Executive  Council,  National  Civic 
Federation),  New  York  City. 

George  R.  Elder  (Manager  The  Ingersoll-Sergeant  Drill  Com- 
pany), Easton,  Pa. 

G.  E.  Emmons  (Manager  Schenectady  Works  General  Electric 
Company),  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

Wn^LiAM  R.  Farrand  (General  Manager  Farrand  Organ  Com- 
pany), Detroit,  Mich. 

Maurice  Eels  (Eels  &  Company),  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Edward  A.  Filene  (Treasurer  William  Filene's  Sons  Company), 
Boston,  Mass. 

F.  S.   Fish    (Chairman  Executive  Committee  Studebaker  Bros. 

Manufacturing  Company),  South  Bend,  Ind. 

W.  C.  Fish  (Manager  Lynn  Works,  General  Electric  Company), 
West  Lynn,  Mass. 

Frederick  C.  Fletcher  (Treasurer  Pocasset  Worsted  Company), 
Providence,  R.  I. 

J.  H.  Ford  (Secretary  and  General  Manager  The  Alaska  Re- 
frigerator Company),  Muskegon,  Mich. 

G.  Watson  French    (President  Bettendorf  Metal  Wheel  Com- 

pany), Davenport,  Iowa. 

Harry  B.  French  (Vice-President  Smith,  Kline  &  French  Com- 
pany), Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Arthur  A.  Fuller  (Superintendent  Providence  Engineering 
Works),  Providence,  R.  I. 

Arthur  E.  Gilbert  (General  Manager  Red  Cliff  Lumber  Com- 
pany), Superior,  Wis. 

Orrin  S.  C^an  (Manager  National  Biscuit  Company),  New 
York  City. 

H.  B.  Graves  (H.  B.  Graves'  Home  Furnishing  House),  Ro- 
chester, N.  Y. 

H.  B.  Graves  (Secretary  and  Treasurer  The  Standard  Optical 
Company),  Geneva,  N.  Y. 

William  C.  Greene  (Treasurer  Peace  Dale  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany), Peace  Dale,  R.  L 

B.  J.  C^reenhut  (Treasurer  Siegel-Cooper  Company),  New  York 
City. 

J.  B.  Green  HUT  (President  Siegel-Cooper  Co.),  New  York  City. 

George  H.  Harris  (Vice-President  Washington  Railway  and 
Electric  Company),  Washington,  D.  C. 


^X 


H.  Gilbert  Hart  (President  Hart  and  Grouse  Gompany),  Utica, 
N.  Y. 

F.  R.  Hazard  (President  The  Solvay  Process  Gompany),  Syra- 

cuse, N.  Y. 

H.  J.  Heinz  (President  H.  J.  Heinz  Gompany),  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Edwin  M.  Herr  (Vice-President  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Gom- 
pany), Wilmerding,  Pa. 

Gharles  W.  Hubbard  (Treasurer  Ludlow  Manufacturing 
Associates),  Boston,  Mass. 

Gharles  H.  Hulburd  (President  Elgin  National  Watch  Gom- 
pany), Ghicago,  111. 

John  S.  Huyler  (President  Huyler's),  New  York  Gity. 

M.  E.  Ingalls  (President  G,  G.,  G,  &  St.  L.  Ry.  Co.),  Gin- 
cinnati,  Ohio. 

Dexter  S.  Kimball  (Manager  Stanley  Electric  Manufacturing 
Gompany),  Pittsfield,  Mass. 

John  F.  P.  Lawton  (Assistant  Treasurer  and  Secretary,  Gor- 
ham  Manufacturing  Gompany  of  Rhode  Island),  Provi- 
dence, R.  I. 

Thomas  B.  Laycock  (Secretary  and  Treasurer  The  T.  B.  Lay- 
cock  Manufacturing  Gompany),  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Warner  M.  Leeds  (Vice-President  American  Sheet  and  Tin  Plate 
Gompany),  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

William  W.  Lobdell  (President  Lobdell  Gar  Wheel  Go.),  Wil- 
n^ngton,  Del. 

W.  N.  LocKwooD  (Treasurer  Davidson  Rubber  Gompany),  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

G.  H.  Ludington,  Jr.   (Secretary  and  Treasurer  The  Gurtis  Pub- 

lishing Gompany),  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Arthur  T.  Lyman  (Treasurer  The  Boston  Manufacturing  Gom- 
pany), Boston^  Mass. 

V.  Everit  Macy  (Capitalist),  New  York  Gity. 

Samuel  Mather  (Pickands,  Mather  &  Gompany),  Gleveland, 
Ohio. 

W.  G.  Mather  (President  Gleveland  Gliflfs  Iron  Gompany), 
Gleveland,  Ohio. 

Gyrus  H.  McGormick  (President  International  Harvester  Gom- 
pany), Ghicago,  111. 

T.  H.  Mc  Innerney  (Siegel-Gooper  Gompany),  New  York  Gity. 

H.  E.  Miles  (President  Racine-Stattley  Company),  Racine,  Wis. 

Ira  M.  Miller  (Secretary  and  Treasurer  The  Aultman  &  Miller 
Buckeye  Gompany),  Akron,  Ohio. 

William  Miller  (Henry  Disston  &  Sons),  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Stephen  Morris  (Secretary  Merritt  &  Company),  Philadelphia, 
Pa. 

Everitt  Morss  (President  The  Simplex  Electrical  Company), 
Boston,  Mass. 


XXI 


W.  H.  MouLTON  (The  Osborn  Manufacturing  Company),  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

N.  O.  Nelson  (N.  O.  Nelson  Manufacturing  Company),  Ed- 
wardsville,  111. 

L.  A.  Osborne  (Vice-President  Westinghouse  Electric  and  Manu- 
facturing Company),  East  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Charles  T.  Page  (Treasurer  Page  Belting  Company),  Concord, 
N.  H. 

Thomas  F.  Parker  (President  Monaghan  Mills),  Greenville, 
S.  C 

H.  B.  Parsons  (Vice-President  Wells  Fargo  &  Company),  New 
York  City. 

John  H.  •Patterson  (President  National  Cash  Register  Com- 
pany), Dayton,  Ohio. 

Ludington  Patton  (Secretary  and  Treasurer  Patton  Paint  Com- 
pany), Milwaukee,  Wis. 

H.  D.  Perky  (President  Natural  Food  Company),  Niagara  Falls, 
N.  Y. 

A.  J.  Pitkin  (President  American  Locomotive  Company),  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Thomas  G.  Plant  (President  Thomas  G.  Plant  Company), 
Boston,  Mass. 

Albert  L.  Pope  (Vice-President  Pope  Manufacturing  Company), 
New  York. 

M.  A.  Potter  (Treasurer  E.  C.  Atkins  &  Company),  Indian- 
apolis, Ind. 

W.  H.  Pouch  (Vice-President  Orange  County  Traction  Com- 
pany), Newburgh,  N.  Y. 

W.  M.  Pratt  (Treasurer  Goodell-Pratt  Company),  Greenfield, 
Mass. 

H.  G.  PROUT  (Vice-President  and  General  Manager  The  Union 
Switch  and  Signal  Company),  Swissvale,  Pa. 

A.  G.   Renau    (Superintendent  B.    F.    Avery  &   Sons),   Louis- 

ville, Ky. 

B.  J.  RiCKER  (Morrison,  Mcintosh  &  Company),  Grinnell,  Iowa. 
J.  D.  Robinson  (Secretary  The  Libbey  Glass  Company),  Toledo, 

Ohio. 

Charles  D.  Rood  (President  Hamilton  Watch  Company), 
Lancaster,  Pa. 

James  T.  Sargent  (General  Manager  The  American  Washboard 
Company),  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Max  Scheuer  (S.  Scheuer  &  Sons),  New  York  City. 

George  D.  Selby  (President  The  Drew-Selby  Company),  Ports- 
mouth, Ohio. 

G.  W.  Slingerland  (General  Superintendent  American  Express 
Compjiny),  New  York  City. 


xxii 


Irving  Smith   (President  The  Crescent  Watch  Case  Company), 

New  York  City: 
Ellison  A.  Smyth  (President  Pelzer  Manufacturing  Company), 

Pelzer,  S.  C 
Frank  C.  Spinney  (Faunce  &  Spinney),  Lynn,  Mass. 

C.  L.  M.  Stark   (Secretary  North  American  Watch  Company), 

Mansfield,  Ohio. 

E.  C.  Stearns  (President  E.  C.  Stearns  &  Company),  Syracuse, 

N.  Y. 
Nathan  Straus  (R.  H.  Macy  &  Company),  New  York  City. 
J.   G.   Taylor    (Treasurer  Hampshire   Paper  Company),   South 

Hadley  Falls,  Mass. 

D.  E.  Titsworth  (Secretary  and  Manager  Potter  Printing  Press 

Company),  Plainfield,  N.  J. 

F.  G.  TowNE  (Treasurer  National  Blank  Book  Company),  Holy- 

oke,  Mass. 

Leonard  Tufts  (Manager  American  Soda  Fountain  Company), 
Boston,  Mass. 

Charles  J.  Vopicka  (Atlas  Brewing  Company),  Chicago,  111. 

H.  H.  Vreeland  (President  New  York  City  Railway  Company), 
New  York  City. 

A.  W.  Walker  (President  Walker  &  Pratt  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany), Boston,  Mass. 

V.  A.  Wallin  (Treasurer  Wallin  Leather  Company),  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich. 

William  C.  Warren  (Superintendent  S.  L.  Allen  &  Company), 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

J.  H.  Whiting  (President  Whiting  Foundry  Equipment  Com- 
pany), Harvey,  111. 

J.  H.  Williams  (President  J.  H.  WilHams  &  Company),  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. 

P.  H.  WiTHtNGTON  (President  Withington  &  Cooley  Manufac- 
turing Company),  Jackson,  Mich. 

Frank  F.  Woods  (Treasurer  S.  A.  Woods  Machine  Company), 
Boston,  Mass. 

L.  A.  Woodward  (Manager  The  William  Todd  Company), 
Youngstown,  Ohio. 


XXlll 


No.  Description. 

43 — Gymnasium  in  a  factory  used  alternately  by  men  and 
women  in  classes  of  sixty  each. 

44 — Sixty  shower  baths  connected  with  factory  gym- 
nasium, one  hundred  twenty  dressing-rooms  being 
adjacent. 


XXIV 


-•-  THE    -^^ 

tRsfry 

or 
i^(fPRNlA 


SCOPE   AND    PURPOSE. 

THE    PURPOSE   OF   THE    WELFARE   DEPARTMENT    SHALL   BE: 

(i)  To  educate  the  public  as  to  the  real  meaning  and 
value  of  welfare  work,  which  is  understood  to  be  any 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  employer,  working  with  the  em- 
ployees, to  better  the  conditions  of  the  latter. 

(2)  To  interest  employers  not  engaged  in  welfare 
work,  by  emphasizing  their  moral  obligation  to  give  con- 
sideration to  the  general  welfare  of  their  employees. 

(3)  To  maintain  a  central  bureau,  for  the  exchange  of 
experiences  by  employers  actually  engaged  in  welfare 
work,  a  special  feature  being  the  report  of  failures  and 
their  causes ;  and  for  the  collection  of  data,  reading  mat- 
ter, and  illustrations  for  the  benefit  of  all  inquiring  em- 
ployers. 

PLAN  OF  WORK. 

i.    conferences. 

Promote  : 

I.  Conferences  of  employers  for  the  discussion  of  the 
following  and  kindred  subjects : 

General  policy  to  be  pursued  in  installing  and  main- 
taining welfare  work. 
Sanitary  Work  Rooms. 
Wash  Rooms  and  Baths. 
Hospital  Service. 
The  Luncheon  Room. 

XXV 


Recreation. 

Educational  Efforts. 

Housing  of  Labor  (City  and  Country  Mills). 

2.  Public  Conferences. 

3.  Conferences  of  Welfare  Managers. 

II.      DIRECT   EFFORTS    WITH    EMPLOYERS. 

Issue  letters  to  employers  enclosing  plan  of  work  and 
announcing  that,  upon  request,  a  consulting  agent  will  be 
furnished  to  study  the  especial  needs  of  employees  in  a 
given  plant,  advise  the  best  methods  of  introducing  such 
features  as  may  be  deemed  most  essential,  direct  the  in- 
stalling of  same,  and,  when  required,  recommend  a  per- 
manent agent  or  welfare  manager. 

III.       BUREAU    OF    EXCHANGE. 

Issue  requests  to  employers  promoting  welfare  work, 
for  information  relative  to  their  especial  successes  and 
failures,  to  be  furnished  upon  application  (without  names, 
if  so  stipulated)  to  those  similarly  situated  who  desire  to 
profit  by  their  experience. 


xxvi 


CONTENTS 

ADDRESSES    MADE    AT    THE    CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK,     HELD 
MARCH    l6,    1904,  AT  THE   WALDORF-ASTORIA,    NEW   YORK   CITY 

PAGE 

H.    H.   Vreeland,    Chairman  Welfare   Department,    National 

Civic  Federation,  Opening  Address i 

W.  E.  C.  Nazro,  the  Plymouth  Cordage  Company 3 

Miss  Diana  Hirschler,  William  Filene's  Sons  Company 26 

W.  G.  Mather,  Cleveland  Cliffs  Iron  Company 40 

E.  M.  Herr,  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company 47 

O.  F.  Humphreys,  Patton  Paint  Company 54 

J.  E.  Stevens,  Ludlow  Manufacturing  Associates 60 

C.  C.  Michener,  Industrial  Department  of  the  International 

Committee,  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 'j'j 

J.  F.  P.  Lawton,  Gorham  Manufacturing  Company 94 

Louis  Krumbhaar,  Solvay  Process  Company 102 

Mrs,  Isabelle  F.  Nye,  the  Siegel-Cooper  Company 105 

Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Wheeler,  the  Shepard  Company 112 

Dexter  S.  Kimball,  Stanley  Electric  Manufacturing  Company.  114 

John  H.  Patterson,  National  Cash  Register  Company 118 

D.  E.  Tits  worth,  Potter  Printing  Press  Company 125 

General  Discussion   125 

W.  B.  Albright,  Sherwin  Williams  Company 131 

E.  A.  Stedman,  Wells  Fargo  Company 134 

H.  H.  Vreeland,  New  York  City  Railway  Company 138 

E.  F.  Olmsted,  Natural  Food  Company 150 

Miss  Anna  B.  Doughten,  the  Curtis  Publishing  Company 163 

Mrs.    M.    Louise    Hynson,    John    Wanamaker    Philadelphia 

Store    167 

N.  W.  Cease,  American  Locomotive  Company 167 

H.  H.  Vreeland,  Closing  Address 173 

xxvii 


xxviii  CONTENTS. 

APPENDIX 

PAGE 

L.    A,    Osborne,   Westinghouse   Electric   and   Manufacturing 

Company  175 

Louis  Krumbhaar,  the  Solvay  Process  Company 185 

Partial  List  of  Participants 197 

Index   201 


Conference   on  Welfare  Work 

March   i6,   1904 

MORNING   SESSION. 

Mr.  H.  H.  Vreeland,  Chairman  of  the  Welfare  De- 
partment of  the  National  Civic  Federation,  in  opening  the 
meeting,  said : 

Believing  that  its  efforts  to  better  the  relations  between 
employers  and  employees  would  be  materially  aided  by 
the  promotion  of  what  is  called  *'  Welfare  Work,"  the 
National  Civic  Federation  recently  authorized  the  organi- 
zation of  a  department  for  that  purpose. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  committee  appointed  to 
organize  the  Welfare  Department  was  held  in  January, 
and  largjely  attended  by  the  representative  employers  from 
various  sections  of  the  country  who  compose  the  com- 
mittee. It  developed  that  it  was  the  first  time  that  em- 
ployers who  were  giving  especial  consideration  to  the 
welfare  of  their  employees  had  been  brought  together, 
and  that  each  one  had  an  idea  that  this  welfare  work 
was  an  individual  effort  on  his  part  in  his  particular 
locality,  and  that  he  was  rather  like  the  mole  groping  in 
a  dark  passage,  and  when  he  came  to  the  light  he  found 
that  he  was  not  ''  it,"  but  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
this  work  being  done  throughout  the  United  States,  both 
by  corporations  and  individuals.  An  entire  day  was  given 
to  an  exchange  of  experiences  and  the  discussion  of 
methods  for  installing  welfare  work,  and  such  great  in- 
terest was  taken  in  the  discussion  that  no  effort  was  made 
to  organize  that  day,  an  adjournment  being  taken  for  one 
month. 


2      CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

At  the  second  meeting  there  was  even  a  larger  at- 
tendance, and  the  different  portions  of  the  country  were 
more  widely  represented.  The  interest  and  enthusiasm 
of  the  first  meeting  were  duplicated  at  this  time,  and,  as 
these  discussions  developed  invaluable  information,  it  was 
decided  to  incorporate  in  the  plan  of  work  the  idea  of 
holding  different  kinds  of  conferences  for  the  discussion 
of  this  subject.  The  idea  of  holding  such  a  conference 
as  this  was  to  get  the  experience  of  those  directly  en- 
gaged in  the  practical  working  out  of  these  questions 
throughout  the  United  States,  so  that  we  could  get  a 
concrete  foundation  for  our  work.  Employers  were, 
therefore,  invited  to  send  their  representatives  (who 
have,  in  a  few  instances,  been  called  "  Social  Secre- 
taries ")  engaged  in  any  effort  to  better  the  conditions  of 
their  employees;  and  it  is  that,  as  well  as  the  fact  that 
employers,  who  have  direct  supervision  of  their  welfare 
work,  accepted  the  invitation,  which  has  given  us  this 
large  and  representative  gathering. 

As  I  have  said,  our  Welfare  Department  is  only  a 
recent  organization,  and  the  object  of  this  conference,  as 
I  understand  it,  is  to  have  a  sort  of  experience  meeting, 
which  will  form  the  basis  for  future  work  and  help  us 
to  determine  what  trend  our  efforts  should  take. 

We  know  what  we  have  done  along  this  line  indi- 
vidually, but  not  collectively  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
employer  and  the  corporation.  I  understand  there  are 
those  present  who  are  prepared  to  give  their  experiences 
and  a  general  talk  on  this  proposition,  and  the  Chairman 
will  take  no  more  of  the  time  of  the  meeting,  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  day  would  be  required  to  describe 
what  has  occurred  in  connection  with  this  movement. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  3 

.  :Mr.  W.  E.  C.  Nazro,  who  has  charge  of  the  welfare 
work  of  the  Plymouth  Cordage  Company,  at  North  Ply- 
mouth, Mass.,  will  address  the  meeting. 

Mr.  Nazro  :  While  in  making  the  opening  speech  I  am 
expected  to  limit  my  talk  to  a  description  of  our  welfare 
work,  there  are  several  points  in  connection  with  the  con- 
duct of  this  work  which  I  shall  first  call  to  your  attention. 
I  feel  that  the  work  is  yet  young  with  the  Company,  as 
we  have  only  been  carrying  it  on  five  years ;  but  one  thing 
that  every  person  interested  in  establishing  this  work 
should  consider  is  that  the  methods  employed  by 
one  can  not  always  be  adopted  by  others.  Each  has  a 
different  problem.  That  problem  requires  careful  study. 
One  should  look  into  the  work  that  is  being  done  by  other 
concerns^ and  take  those  points  which  can  be  adapted  to 
the  special  problem. 

Each  mill  also  has  its  different  class  of  workmen ;  some 
work  requires  skilled  labor,  while  other  work  requires 
unskilled  labor.  Some  concerns  employ  people  who  are 
educated,  while  others  employ  those  who  have  -  just 
arrived  in  this  country,  and  are  unable  to  speak  our  lan- 
guage, which  makes  them  incompetent  to  enter  the  work 
to  any  extent.  It  is  well,  however,  in  developing  the 
problem,  to  bring  the  people  as  much  as  possible  into  the 
work;  of  course,  how  much  depends  entirely  upon  local 
conditions. 

I  think  that  many  have  made  a  mistake  by  giving  the 
employees  advantages  too  quickly  in  developing  the 
work.  In  my  opinion,  the  work  should  be  introduced 
slowly,  a  little  each  year,  and  it  should  grow  in  magni- 
tude as  the  business  grows.     It  should  not  be  launched 


4  .     CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

in  every  detail  at  once,  although  it  is  always  well,  when 
considering  the  problem  one  is  developing,  to  bear  in  mind 
the  plan  as  it  will  be  when  it  is  completed,  introducing 
this  step  by  step  as  the  employees  are  ready  to  receive  it. 

In  large  business  houses  or  manufacturing  plants,  it  is 
impossible  for  the  officials  to  give  the  time  necessary  to 
the  management  of  welfare  work.  A  study  of  the  needs 
of  the  employees  and  the  plans  to  meet  them  can  only  be 
successfully  carried  out  by  one  who  can  give  his  entire 
time  to  the  work.  Not  only  that,  but  it  requires  a  person 
of  somewhat  different  temperament  from  that  necessary 
for  other  departments  of  the  business. 

The  problem  that  we  have  to  deal  with  is  that  of  the 
mill  town.  Naturally,  when  welfare  work  is  introduced 
by  the  manufacturer  in  a  city  mill,  somewhat  different 
lines  must  be  pursued. 

The  Plymouth  Cordage  Company,  situated  about 
two  miles  from  the  historic  town  of  Pilgrim  fame,  has 
many  natural  advantages  for  the  development  of  indus- 
trial betterment.  These  advantages,  however,  unless  care- 
fully considered — as  they  have  been — would  never  have 
had  that  charming  beauty  and  simplicity  that  they  now 
possess. 

The  officers  of  the  Company  saw  these  advantages 
several  years  ago  and  determined  to  start  upon  a  plan 
for  the  development  of  the  surroundings.  Not  only  did 
they  consider  the  development  of  the  property,  but  also 
that  of  the  twelve  hundred  employees.  The  advantages 
which  then  existed  for  the  development  of  their  physical 
and  mental  activity  were  few.  There  was  a  decided  lack 
of  social  life,  there  being  nothing  to  create  interest  out- 
side of  the  mill  life,  which  is  necessarily  narrowing. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  5 

It  was  our  desire  to  change  these  conditions  of  the 
employees:  to  educate  them;  to  teach  the  boys  and  girls 
to  help  themselves;  to  direct  them,  through  a  library,  to 
the  higher  education;  to  show  them  how  to  better  their 
surroundings  and  appreciate  the  higher  ideals  and  beauties 
of  life.  As  many  of  the  employees  are  foreigners,  it  is 
our  aim  to  educate  them  in  American  ways,  with  the  hope 
of  making  them  better  citizens  and  bettering  their  con- 
dition at  the  same  time. 

THE   MILL. 

Naturally  the  first  place  that  we  looked  into  and 
changed  was  the  mill  where  the  employees  spent  most 
of  their  time.  The  surroundings  were  carefully  con- 
sidered 4n  the  erection  of  a  new  mill  that  was,  at  that 
time,  in  process  of  construction. 

TOILET  FACILITIES. 

First,  the  best  sanitary  appliances  were  put  in,  and  all 
toilet  rooms  were  finished  with  asphalt  floors,  the  side 
walls  were  lined  with  white  enamel  brick,  all  plumbing 
being  exposed,  which  gave  us  a  toilet  room  that  was  easily 
kept  clean. 

VENTILATION. 

With  good  sanitary  conditions,  the  next  point  was  that 
of  fresh  air.  A  modern  system  of  ventilation  was  in- 
stalled. Through  this  system  the  air  is  taken  from  out- 
doors by  large  fans,  and,  in  winter,  is  forced  over  coils 
of  steam  piping.    When  heated,  the  air  is  forced  through 


6      CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

ducts  to  the  different  floors  above.  The  windows  are 
dropped  at  the  top  and  the  bad  air  has  a  chance  to  get 
out,  thus  making  a  complete  system  of  ventilation. 
During  the  summer  months  the  air  is  taken  from  out- 
doors by  the  same  system,  but,  of  course,  it  does  not  pass 
over  steam  pipes.  The  mill  thus  ventilated  in  summer  is 
from  three  to  four  degrees  cooler  than  our  No.  i  mill, 
where  the  system  is  not  installed.  In  rooms  where  dust 
or  fumes  accrue,  they  are  removed  by  a  system  of  ex- 
haust fans  that  helps  materially  to  keep  the  air  clean  and 
pure. 

SEATS  FOR  WOMEN  OPERATIVES. 

The  young  women's  work  is  made  as  comfortable  as 
possible  for  them,  and  they  are  allowed  stools  which  they 
may  use  when  they  are  a  little  tired,  or  when  the  char- 
acter of  the  work  does  not  necessitate  their  standing. 

DRINKING    WATER. 

The  drinking  water  is  obtained  from  springs  situated 
about  the  mills,  and  every  precaution  is  taken  to  have  it 
free  from  any  pollution,  the  water  being  tested  at  in- 
terv^als  to  guard  against  any  chances  of  sickness  from  this 
source. 

THE   MILL  ENVIRONMENT. 

How  many  times,  as  one  travels  about,  mills  may  be 
seen  whose  surroundings  are  anything  but  attractive !  Old 
tin  cans  strewed  here  and  there,  old  rags,  bottles  and  ma- 
terial piled  in  a  loose  fashion.  One  could  easily  imagine 
what  the  homes  of  the  people  would  be  after  Hying  amicj 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  7 

such  surroundings  all  day.  After  all,  one's  environment 
has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  one's,  character.  So  the  old 
muddy  roads  that  once  surrounded  the  mills  have  been 
macadamized,  lawns  created,  shrubbery  planted,  vines 
started  around  the  mills,  and  the  whole  environment  has 
been  changed  until  it  is  now  attractive  to  the  eye. 

It  was  interesting  to  see,  after  the  development  had 
started,  the  exact  influence  created.  It  was,  however, 
as  we  expected  it  would  be.  The  employees  took  home 
with  them  the  lessons  we  were  endeavoring  to  teach. 
They  started  to  fix  up  their  own  grounds ;  walks  that  had 
never  seen  the  edging-knife  were  edged,  and  lawns  were 
carefully  cut,  which  at  once  began  to  lend  an  entirely 
different  character  to  the  homes  of  the  employees. 


HOUSING. 

The  Company  at  this  time  possessed  several  tenement 
houses,  which  contained  tenements  in  groups  of  four 
and  eight  under  one  roof.  These  tenements  con- 
tain a  living-room  9  ft.  11  in.  x  12  ft.  i  in.;  kitchen  13 
ft.  8  in.  X  14  ft.  5  in.,  with  entry  5  ft.  7  in.  x  9  ft.  6  in. ; 
two  rooms  12  ft.  i  in.  x  15  ft.  and  14  ft.  5  in.  x  15  ft., 
both  with  large  closets.  The  houses  set  within  five  feet 
from  the  road,  allowing  only  a  small  front  yard.  Each 
house  is  allotted  a  garden,  where,  during  the  summer,  the 
employees  may  raise  their  own  vegetables.  The  only 
plumbing  in  the  house  is  that  of  one  sink  in  the  small 
entry.    These  houses  rent  from  $1.50  to  $1.75  per  week. 

With  the  building  of  new  houses  the  old  type  was  dis- 
carded, and  the  new  tract  of  land  which  was  bought  was 


No.  Description. 

32 — Library  building  in  a  factory  community. 

33 — Interior  view  library  building. 

34 — Houses  rented  to  employees. 

35,  36,  37,  38 — Views  of  bathing  beach  in  the  same  com- 
munity. 


OF  THE 

iVERSITY 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  9 

divided  into  lots  about  one  hundred  feet  wide  and  one 
hundred  fifty  feet  deep. 

Two-family  houses  were  then  built,  along  more  modern 
lines,  the  cottage  effect  being  borne  in  mind  as  much 
as  possible.  These  are  far  more  picturesque  than  the  old 
tenements,  and  lend  themselves  to  more  individual  treat- 
ment which  may  be  made  more  expressive  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  dwellers.  These  houses  contain  on  the  first 
floor,  kitchen,  13  ft.  2  in.  x  16  ft.  6  in. ;  parlor,  10  ft.  x  12 
ft.  6  in.;  dining-room,  11  ft.  I  in.  x  12  ft.  3  in.,  and  bath- 
room 5  ft.  X  7  ft.  Upstairs  one  type  has  four  bedrooms, 
another  three,  and  another  two.  These  houses  set  about 
thirty  feet  from  the  road,  giving  thefn  sufficient  lawn  in 
front  which  lends  itself  to  adornment  with  flower  beds  or 
shrubbery.  In  the  rear  of  the  house  are  the  garden  and 
also  henyards,  with  ample  space  next  to  the  house  for 
the  clothes-yard.  The  houses  are  built  of  wood,  and 
shingled.  They  range  in  price  from  $1.90  to  $2.50  a 
week. 

We  are  at  present  building  a  few  houses  along  these 
lines  which'  we  can  rent  at  about  the  same  price  as  the 
old  tenement  blocks — $1.50  to  $1.75  per  week. 

The  Company  does  a  certain  amount  toward  fixing  up 
the  surroundings,  and  attends  to  the  removal  of  ashes  and 
garbage,  but  it  believes  in  simply  helping  the  tenants  to 
carry  out  their  individual  desires  and  tastes  in  regard  to 
flower  beds  and  the  distribution  of  shrubbery.  The  Com- 
pany has  only  houses  to  rent.  The  employees  who  own 
their  own  houses  have  either  bought  them  from  outside 
parties  or  built  them  themselves. 


lo  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

LIBRARY. 

Situated  on  a  hill  overlooking  the  houses  and  the  mill 
is  the  Loring  Reading  Room,  which  was  presented  to  the 
Company  by  Mr.  Augustus  P.  Loring,  our  President,  as 
a  memorial  to  his  father,  Caleb  William  Loring,  who  held 
the  office  before  him. 

The  Library  has  been  of  great  benefit  to  the  community. 
The  children  were  allowed  during  the  first  year,  1900- 
1901,  to  come  both  afternoons  and  evenings.  This  plan 
was  changed  the  next  year,  the  children  being  allowed 
only  afternoons.  This  resulted  in  an  increase  in  adult 
attendance  and  decrease  in  that  of  the  children.  The 
Library  contains  about  4,000  volumes  of  fiction,  history, 
and  travel. 

It  is  in  charge  of  a  trained  librarian  and  assistant.  The 
librarian  spends  part  of  the  time  visiting  the  people  and 
the  schools  to  help  and  cooperate  with  them  in  their  work. 
Books  are  sent  to  the  sick ;  also  books  which  are  not  con- 
tained in  the  Library  may  be  procured  from  the  Ply- 
mouth Library  through  the  librarian. 


LUNCHEON  AND  SOCIAL  HALL. 

As  we  leave  the  Library,  a  little  further  down  the  hill 
is*  situated  Harris  Hall,  which  bears  the  name  of  the 
partial  giver  of  the  hall,  Mr.  Edward  K.  Harris,  in 
memory  of  Mr.  James  Harris,  a  director  of  the  Com- 
pany and  its  treasurer  from  1834- 1837. 

This  is  used  for  a  dining-hall  as  well  as  for  social 
gatherings  of  different  kinds.     About  three  years  ago 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  ii 

there  was  a  call  for  hot  coffee  and  tea  among  the  men, 
and  the  Company  refitted  a  small  room  for  a  dining-room, 
with  tea  and  coffee  urns.  After  a  while  there  came  a  call 
for  sandwiches  and  then  for  dinner,  which  evidenced  the 
need  of  larger  quarters.  The  dining-room  has  been  estab- 
lished about  a  year,  the  main  idea  being  to  give  a  good, 
cheap,  substantial  dinner  for  ten  to  twelve  cents,  with  tea, 
coffee,  pies,  and  cake  that  could  be  bought  extra. 

Dinners  taken  from  one  week's  menu  are  as  follows : 

Monday. 

Pot  Roast — Boiled  Potato — Mashed  Turnip $o  lo 

Apple  Pie  02 

Cottage  Pudding — Lemon  Sauce 63 

Doughnuts    01 

Rolls  . . . : 01 

Coffee 02 

Tea   02 

Milk   02 

Tuesday. 

Meat  Pie — Mashed  Potato   10 

Cranberry  Pie  02 

Apple  Pie   02 

Layer  Cake   03 

Doughnuts    01 

Rolls    01 

Wednesday. 

Boiled  Lamb — Caper  Sauce — Scalloped  Potato  12 

Cream  Pie   03 

Mince  and  Apple  Pie 02 

Doughnuts    01 

Rolls    01 

Chocolate    03 


No.  Description. 

29 — Men's  lunch  room  in  a  manufacturing  plant.  After 
providing  luncheons  in  very  simple  quarters,  the 
foreign  element  has  been  gradually  brought  to  the 
use  of  this  room. 

30 — Lunch  counter  system  for  men  in  a  factory. 

31 — Men's  lunch  counter  in  the  comer  of  a  shop.  This 
system  of  lunch  counters  has  been  introduced 
throughout  the  plant.  Three  meals  a  day  are  served. 
Breakfasts  and  morning  luncheons  are  especially  ap- 
preciated, as  many,  through  force  of  circumstances 
or  lack  of  appetite  on  arising,  pay  insufficient  at- 
tention to  the  morning  repast. 


iVERSITY 

OF 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  13 

Thursday. 

Boiled  Ham — Mashed  Potato — Macaroni 10 

Custard  Pie  03 

Apple  Pie  02 

Gingerbread   01 

Doughnuts    01 

Rolls 01 

Friday. 

Baked  Haddock — Mashed  Potato — Scalloped  Onions   12 

Squash  Pie 03 

Cocoanut  Pie 02 

Doughnuts    01 

Rolls 01 

Everything  is  made  in  our  own  kitchen,  so  that  we  are 
perfectly  sure  that  the  material  which  goes  into  the  food  is 
the  best  that  we  can  procure. 

There  is  no  service;  the  men  are  obliged  to  wait  upon 
themselves.  They  buy  their  coffee  at  one  place,  move 
on  to  the  next;  buy  their  dinner,  and  then  take  it  to  their 
table. 

The  dining-hall  contains  the  following  rooms:  On  the 
first  floor  is  a  serving-room,  a  large  dining-room  for 
men  that  will  hold  about  two  hundred,  and  leading  off 
the  main  room  is  a  smaller  room  for  the  office  help.  The 
men's  toilet  rooms  are  also  situated  on  this  floor.  The 
lower  part  of  the  building  is  given  up  to  a  dining-room 
for  the  girls,  with  rest  and  toilet  rooms,  the  kitchen,  cold 
storage  cellar,  and  manager's  room. 


14  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

SOCIAL  EFFORTS  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CLASSES. 

The  hall,  with  its  large  verandas  and  spacious  interior, 
is  used  also  for  social  functions,  such  as  band  concerts, 
dances,  and  club  meetings  of  different  kinds. 

The  girls  in  our  mill  formed  a  social  club  seven  or  eight 
years  ago  of  some  ten  members.  The  girls  started  work 
in  sewing,  and  in  courses  in  English,  and  Italian,  and  in 
art.  From  year  to  year  the  club  has  grown  so  that  now 
there  are  enrolled  in  its  membership  some  eighty  girls, 
most  of  whom  work  in  the  mill.  There  are  a  few  young 
women,  having  had  the  advantages  of  a  higher  education, 
who  have  been  induced  to  join.  They  have  brought  in 
new  ideas  and  have  helped  a  great  deal  in  raising  the 
standard  of  the  club,  for  they  bring  to  bear  the  influence 
that  tends  to  develop  the  character  and  stimulate  higher 
ideals  in  life. 

THE  KINDERGARTEN. 

A  small  dwelling  at  the  entrance  to  the  factory  was 
turned  into  a  school  building.  A  kindergarten  was 
started  under  the  direction  of  a  trained  kindergartner. 
The  first  year  the  school  contained  about  twenty-three 
pupils,  the  second  year  about  thirty,  and  the  third  year  we 
found  it  necessary  to  engage  an  assistant,  the  number 
then  reaching  forty;  this  winter  the  school  has  fifty- 
three  enrolled.  The  kindergarten  in  many  ways  is  a  great 
help,  not  only  to  the  children,  but  also  to  their  mothers, 
for  ■  it  takes  the  children  away  from  the  house  in  the 
busiest  part  of  the  day  and  gives  the  mother  time  to  do 
her  work  unmolested,  while  the  children  return  with  new 
ideas  and  brighter  faces.     The  teachers  make  visits  and 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  15 

interest  the  mothers  in  the  children's  work.  They  also 
give  them  a  little  social  life  once  a  month  by  having 
mothers'  meetings  at  Harris  Hall. 

THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 

The  largest  gathering  of  this  kind  occurs  at  Christmas 
time,  when  a  Christmas  tree  delights  the  children.  The 
proud  mothers  seated  about  the  hall,  seeing  their  little 
tots  marching  around  the  tree  singing  and  clapping  their 
hands,  smile  with  the  children,  whose  little  faces  beam 
with  delight  at  the  sparkling  stars  and  trimmings  of  the 
tree. 

CLASSES  IN  SLOYD. 

The  second  step  in  the  school  was  the  addition  of  a 
Sloyd  Department.  A  room  was  fitted  up  with  ten 
benches.  The  school  at  first  was  only  for  the  boys  who 
worked  in  the  mill,  the  other  boys  of  the  family  having 
the  advantage  in  the  public  schools.  The  school  is  carried 
on  four  evenings  a  week,  there  being  forty  boys  enrolled 
in  the  course.  Later,  the  girls  became  interested  in  the 
work,  so  a  girls'  class  of  ten  was  added.  In  connection 
with  this  work  we  have  established  classes  in  basketry 
and  the  making  of  cane  seats  to  chairs. 

THE    COOKING    SCHOOL. 

Another  branch  of  the  industrial  work  is  the  cooking 
school.  Probably  there  is  no  branch  of  the  school  that 
does  more  real  good  than  this.  The  children  are  al- 
lowed to  attend  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  and  there  are 
about  forty.     These  classes  are  held  in  the  afternoon 


1 6  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

after  the  public  school  sessions,  from  four  to  six  o'clock. 
Good,  plain  cooking  is  taught:  how  to  make  a  dinner 
from  cheap  cuts  of  meat,  the  proper  food  to  buy,  and  the 
correct  combinations  to  use  to  build  up  the  tissues  of  the 
body  and  brain.  The  making  of  bread,  pastry,  preserves, 
jellies,  and  the  preparation  of  cereals  are  also  touched 
upon.  The  course  in  cooking  is  three  years.  Some  of 
the  girls  that  are  employed  in  the  dining-hall  are  gradu- 
ates of  the  cooking  school,  but  generally  they  go  to  work 
in  the  mill. 

On  June  13,   1903,  the  Directors  were  entertained  at 
a  dinner  at  Harris  Hall,  the  menu  being : 


Little  Neck  Clams 

Consomme 

. 

Olives                                Radishes 

Salted  Almonds 

Fillet  of  Sole 

Tartar  Sauce 

Cucumbers 

Fillet  of  Beef 

Mushroom  Sauce 

Potato   Balls 

Asparagus 

Tomato  Salad 

Strawberry  Ice  Cream 

Frozen  Pudding 

Sponge  Cake 

Almond  Cake 

Crackers 

Cheese 

Coffee 

The  cooking  school  girls  prepared  most  of  the  food  and 
served  it. 

If  there  is  any  one  in  the  community  who  is  very  ill, 
the  children  in  the  cooking  school  are  shown  how  to  pre- 
pare food  for  invalids,  and  how  to  present  it  attractively, 
after  which  a  few  of  the  pupils  carry  it  to  those  afflicted. 
It  not  only  teaches  them  how  to  prepare  the  food,  but  also 
shows  them  the  pleasure  of  doing  for  others. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  17 

MECHANICAL  DRAWING. 

The  men  who  work  in  our  machine  and  carpenter 
shops  were  desirous  of  studying  mechanical  drawing, 
and  courses  were  started  for  them ;  also  there  are  several 
boys  who  have  become  interested  in  the  work.  The  first 
year  is  given  up  to  the  fundamental  principles  of  draw- 
ing; the  second  year  work  takes  up  descriptive  geometry 
and  drawing  of  different  parts  of  machinery;  the  third 
year  work  more  advanced  machine  work ;  the  fourth  year 
work  elementary  design.  Several  carpenters  have  taken 
up  the  course,  in  which  case  we  have  altered  it  to  corre- 
spond more  with  their  line  of  work.  The  men  have 
benefited  very  much  by  the  course,  and  some  of  them, 
who  at  the  outset  were  unable  to  read  a  plan,  can  now 
work  intelligently  from  one. 

The  industrial  classes  are  charged  a  small  tuition  fee, 
but  this  plan  is  not  extended  to  the  kindergarten. 

A  band  was  organized  about  two  years  ago,  consisting 
of  thirty-two  pieces,  the  Company  furnishing  the  rooms 
to  practise  in,  and  advancing  the  money  with  which  to 
procure  many  of  the  instruments.  The  band  plays  at  all 
baseball  games  that  are  held  on  the  grounds,  and  also 
plays  morning  and  afternoon  at  our  Labor  Day  show. 

During  the  winter  the  band  gives  concerts  every  two 
weeks  in  Harris  Hall,  the  proceeds  of  which  are  divided 
among  several  benefit  societies  which  have  been  organized 
by  the  employees. 

COOPERATIVE  STORE. 

As  the  mill  is  situated  some  distance  from  the  town, 
many  small  groceries   sprang  up.     The   Company,  not 


1 8     CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

satisfied  with  conditions,  bought  out  some  of  the  stores 
and  started  a  large  one  under  the  name  of  the  Employees' 
Cooperative  Store.  The  Company  furnished  sufficient 
capital  to  start  the  store  along  the  following  lines : 

That  the  Company  would  not  receive  any  interest  on 
the  money  invested;  and  that  it  should  be  a  cooperative 
business  entirely  for  the  employees'  benefit,  they  to  re- 
ceive their  share  of  the  profits  pro  rata  as  their  accounts 
showed  on  the  books. 

Naturally,  the  taking  over  of  old  stock  and  the  start- 
ing of  a  new  enterprise  necessitates  time  to  tell  whether 
or  not  it  will  prove  to  be  a  success  in  every  way.  While 
we  can  not  now  say  that  it  is  as  successful  as  we  had 
anticipated,  there  is  one  thing  certain,  and  that  is  the 
employees  get  far  better  material  than  formerly  for  the 
same  amount  of  money,  from  a  clean  and  well  kept  store. 
All  groceries  are  delivered  by  three  teams,  which  cover 
the  scattered  territory. 

RECREATIVE. 

Some  of  the  Company's  property  skirts  the  shore  of 
Plymouth  Bay,  and  here  we  have  established  a  bathing 
beach.  The  slope  of  the  land  made  it  necessary  to  build 
it  out  and  retain  it  by  a  parapet  wall.  This,  however, 
has  its  advantages,  as  it  makes  a  fine  playground  for  the 
children,  where  they  can  dig  in  the  sand  and  enjoy  the 
fresh  breezes  of  the  ocean  without  whetting  their  feet  and 
dresses.  It  makes  a  pleasant  park  where  the  people  may 
gather;  on  Sunday  afternoons,  whole  families  may  be 
seen  enjoying  themselves,  the  father  and  mother  taking  a 
dip  in  the  sea,  while  the  little  ones  are  busy  making  sand 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  19 

houses  on  the  beach.  On  several  Sunday  afternoons 
there  were  from  six  hundred  to  seven  hundred  people 
watching  the  bathers.  There  are  two  large  bath  houses, 
one  for  the  men  and  boys  and  the  other  for  the 
women  and  girls.  The  Company  furnishes  suits  for  the 
bathers  at  the  low  rental  of  one  cent  per  suit ;  also  towels 
at  one  cent  each.  (These  were  free  at  first,  but,  the  privi- 
lege being  abused,  this  nominal  charge  was  made,  with 
the  result  that  we  have  had  no  trouble  since.)  Suits  are 
also  on  sale  at  wholesale  prices.  The  bath  houses  are  in 
charge  of  an  experienced  man,  who  teaches  the  boys  and 
girls  to  swim,  dive,  and  float.  During  the  last  two  sum- 
mers more  than  nine  thousand  baths  were  taken.  One 
generally  finds  the  beach  lined  with  young  people  every 
afternoon,  except  Saturday. 

ATHLETIC  FIELD. 

Saturday  afternoons  the  interest  of  the  crowd  centers 
around  the  ball  field,  which  is  situated  back  of  the  office 
building,  where,  the  weather  permitting,  a  game  is  played 
between  our  own  club  and  a  visiting  team.  Each  year 
they  have  played  against  stronger  teams,  and  this  re- 
sulted last  year  in  several  games  nearing  the  standard 
of  some  of  the  leagues.  The  games  are  witnessed  by 
seven  to  eight  hundred  people,  and  have  been  free,  with  the 
exception  that  a  hat  was  passed  around,  the  people  giving 
what  they  felt  they  could  aflFord,  to  help  defray  the  ex- 
penses of  the  home  and  visiting  teams.  But  this  year 
we  have  charged  an  admission  of  ten  cents,  which  seems 
to  give  much  more  satisfaction  both  financially  and  to 
those  who  watch  the  games.  The  money  collected  is  used 
for  the  running  expenses  of  the  team. 


No.  Description. 

54 — Field  Day  of  employees  from  a  large  manufacturing 
plant,  with  view  of  ball  game. 

55 — A  view  of  the  Field  Day  sack  race. 


20 


34  -        . 

CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  21 

employees'  periodical. 

All  of  the  baseball  games  and,  in  fact,  most  of  the  social 
work  is  reported  in  a  paper  that  we  publish  once  a  month, 
called  The  Plymouth  Cordage  Chronicle.  The  paper 
is  published  in  three  languages:  English,  German,  and 
Italian.  Two  years  ago  there  were  courses  carried  on  in 
agriculture,  horticulture,  and  poultry  raising.  There  were 
so  many  unable  to  take  advantage  of  the  lectures  that  it 
seemed  advisable  to  issue  them  through  a  paper.  They 
could  then  be  brought  out  to  all  the  people  at  once.  This 
proved  a  success,  and  the  whole  social  work  was  then 
brought  before  them  through  this  medium. 

LABOR  DAY  FAIR. 

All  the  work  in  the  schools  and  that  done  about  the 
houses  of  the  employees  is  in  anticipation  of  a  fair  that 
is  held  on  Labor  Day.  Labor  Day,  in  its  true  sense  here, 
brings  out  the  work  that  the  people  have  done  all  sum- 
mer. As  early  as  five  in  the  morning  the  employees  leave 
their  homes  with  wheelbarrows,  little  carts,  and  arms 
filled  with  vegetables.  It  only  needs  a  few  donkeys  with 
packs  on  their  backs  to  lend  to  the  scene  a  true  Italian  set- 
ting of  the  early  morning  market  time  in  Verona  or 
Perugia.  Boys  and  girls  are  running  here  and  there  to 
put  their  handiwork  on  the  proper  table,  while  the  quack- 
ing of  ducks  or  the  crowing  of  a  rooster  announces  the 
arrival  of  a  new  poultry  guest  to  show  off  his  feathers  in 
competition  with  his  neighbors.  Children  laden  with 
flowers,  which  almost  hide  their  tiny  faces  behind  their 
blossoms  as  they  sway  back  and  forth  in  the  breezes,  give 
a  cheerful  greeting  as  they  enter  the  miniature  fair.     It 


22     CONFERENCE   ON    WELFARE    WORK. 

requires  a  tent  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long  and  sixty- 
feet  wide  to  cover  the  exhibition  of  vegetables,  fruit,  fancy 
work,  flowers,  school  work,  cooking,  poultry,  and  handi- 
work. 

The  Company  also  offers  prizes  for  vegetables  and 
flower  gardens  that  are  kept  in  the  best  manner  during 
the  summer;  also  one  for  the  homes  where  trees  and 
vines  are  cultivated.  The  homes  are  visited  by  a  com- 
petent judge  three  times  during  the  summer,  and  a  com- 
plete record  is  kept.  The  names  of  prize  winners  are 
posted  in  the  tent. 

The  fair  is  open  on  Labor  Day  from  12  to  6  o'clock, 
and  also  on  the  following  day  from  7  A.  M.  to  6  P.  M. 
During  the  morning,  while  articles  are  being  put  to  rights, 
the  people  are  gathering  on  the  ball  field,  which  has  been 
laid  out  for  the  athletic  contests  scheduled  to  begin  at 
9  o'clock.  The  Plymouth  Cordage  Band  of  forty-two 
pieces  starts  the  event,  moving  with  a  band  concert  from 
9  to  9.30.  Last  September  there  were  over  five  thousand 
people  to  enjoy  the  following  program: 

9.00-BANb  CONCERT. 

9.30 — RUNNING  RACE,  18  years  old  and  over.    Best  two  out  of 
three,  200  yards. 

9.35— BASKET  CONTEST. 

9.45— FISH  POND,  FOR  GIRLS. 

9.55— STILT  RACE,  FOR  BOYS, 
lo.oo— THREE  LEGGED  RACE,  200  yards. 
10.10— SECOND  HEAT  RUNNING  RACE. 
10.15— HALF  MILE  FOOT  RACE. 
10.30— SACK  RACE,  60  yards. 
10.35— THIRD  HEAT  RUNNING  RACE. 
10.40— HIGH  JUMP. 
10.45— BLINDFOLD  WHEELBARROW  RACE  FOR  BOYS, 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  23 

10.55— HITTING  THE  DUMMY,  FOR  GIRLS. 

11.05— RELAY  RACE,  WALK  vs.  MILL,  800  yards. 

11.30— ONE  MILE  BICYCLE  RACE. 

11.35— OBSTACLE  RACE. 

11.50— GREASED  POLE  AND  BARREL,  FOR  BOYS. 

2.00— BAND  CONCERT. 

3.00— BASEBALL"  GAME. 

In  the  grouping  of  five  thousand  people  the  combina- 
tion of  colors  was  exceedingly  varied,  which  gave  the 
scene  a  decidedly  picturesque  effect.  After  the  people 
had  watched  their  friends  lose  or  gain  the  coveted  prizes, 
they  left  their  seats  for  an  inspection  of  the  tent.  Many 
returned  in  the  afternoon  to  witness  the  final  baseball 
gartle  of  the  season.  Taking  into  account  the  people  who 
attended  the  different  attractions  during  the  day,  this 
fair  was  witnessed  by  nearly  eight  thousand  people.  It 
shows  quite  a  growth  from  the  first  fair  that  was  held 
five  years  ago  in  a  small  house,  where  one  room  12  ft. 
X  14  ft.  was  given  up  to  vegetables,  one  room  14  ft.  x  15 
ft.  to  poultry,  and  one  room  12  ft.  x  12  ft.  to  flowers, 
the  attendance  being  about  eight  hundred. 

CARE  OF  THE  INJURED  AND ^ SICK. 

Often,  during  the  sports  on  Labor  Day  and  the  ball 
game,  slight  accidents  happen ;  also  in  a  mill  where 
hundreds  of  people  are  working  about  moving  machinery 
the  chances  of  accident  are  many.  Accordingly,  a  room 
was  equipped  to  care  for  such  cases.  Trained  nurses 
were  engaged  to  take  charge  of  the  hospital.  Their  work 
at  present  lies  not  only  in  the  small  hospital,  but  much 
of  their  time  is  given  up  to  making  visits  to  all  of  our 
employees  who  are  sick  or  in  need  of  their  services,  ad- 


No.  Description. 

15 — A  factory  doctor's  office  and  emergency  hospital,  wit>h 
all  facilities  for  care  of  accidents  and  minor  opera- 
tions. The  ambulance  is  close  by  to  convey  victims 
of  serious  accidents  to  the  hospital. 

16 — Convalescents'  recreation  hall  in  a  mining  district. 

16^2 — Interior  view  convalescents'  recreation  hall. 


24 


OF  THE 

=;n!VERS1t 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  25 

ministering  to  them  the  proper  care  and  bringing  to  our 
attention  conditions  about  the  places  and  houses  that 
should  be  changed.  In  cases  of  extreme  illness,  one  nurse 
gives  her  attention  during  the  day  and  the  other  at 
night.  The  Company  furnishes  the  nurses  with  a  house 
in  close  proximity  to  the  homes  and  mill.  During  the 
past  six  months  there  were  about  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
cases  that  required  their  attention.  In  many  cases  we 
have  had  the  sincere  thanks  of  our  employees,  and  they 
all  feel  that  it  has  filled  a  long  needed  want. 

MUTUAL   BENEFIT   SOCIETIES. 

Many  times  when  acute  diseases  make  it  impossible  to 
stem  the  current,  and  when  men  who  have  worked  among 
us  for  m'any  years  are  taken  away,  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren would  be  left  in  poverty  but  for  the  benefit  societies 
that  have  been  formed  among  the  workingmen  and 
women.  There  are  three  societies  that  carry  on  this 
work : 

The  United  Workers'  Circle  of  King's  Daughters,  this 
society  raising  money  by  fairs  and  distributing  it  among 
those  requiring  assistance. 

The  German  Brotherhood,  orgariized  the  first  day  of 
September,  1883,  with  a  membership  of  twenty-eight  men 
and  a  capital  stock  of  $224.  The  membership  has  increased 
to  seventy-two  and,  at  date  of  writing,  the  Society  has 
$600  in  the  bank.  The  dues  are  $4  a  year.  The  Society 
has  collected  from  the  members  during  the  existence  of 
the  Society,  $5,566.60;  paid  out  for  deaths  of  members, 
eleven  in  number,  $655 ;  paid  out  for  deaths  of  wives  of 
members,  $272 ;  paid  out  for  sickness,  $4,590. 


26  CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK. 

The  Old  Colony  Mutual  Benefit  Association  was  or- 
ganized June  27,  1878.  The  dues  of  the  Association  are 
four  dollars  ($4)  a  year.  This  gives  an  accident  or  sick 
benefit  of  four  dollars  ($4)  a  week  for  twenty  (20; 
weeks;  also  includes  a  death  benefit  of  $150.  The  mem- 
bership numbers  about  one  hundred  fifty.  The  Associa- 
tion has  received  $8,863.78;  paid  out  in  sickness  and 
death  benefits,  $7,707.48;  it  has  on  deposit,  $1,156.30. 

Membership  in  these  societies  is  voluntary.  If  the  em- 
ployees are  not  fortunate  enough  to  belong  to  either,  the 
men  are  generally  ready  to  start  a  paper  through  the  mills 
for  their  benefit. 

The  patients  who  are  convalescent  find  pleasant  recre- 
ation in  a  park  which  the  company  is  developing.  This 
park  is  near  the  houses,  and  comprises  about  thirty-five 
acres. 

The  Chairman:  Miss  Diana  Hirschler,  of  Wm. 
Filene's  Sons  Co.,  of  Boston,  will  now  speak  on  the  sub- 
ject from  the  standpoint  of  the  retail  store. 

Miss  Hirschler:  I  shall  take  the  keynote  in  what  I 
have  to  say  this  morning  from  our  chairman's  remark 
that  this  was  to  be  in  the  nature  of  an  experience  meet- 
ing, so  I  trust  you  will  pardon  any  personalities. 

I  started  at  Filene's  as  "  Social  Secretary  "  about  three 
and  a  half  years  ago.  We  had  no  definite  plans,  but  the 
members  of  the  firm  had  two  general  ideas  about  this 
work.  They  believed  first,  that  some  one  should  be  placed 
in  the  store,  an  impartial  person,  to  see  that  just  condi- 
tions be  established  in  order  to  enable  the  employees  to 
do  their  best  work,  and  that  with  just  and  fair  conditions 
existing  from  every  standpoint  both  sides  would  be  bene- 


CONFERENCE   ON    WELFARE    WORK.  27 

fited.  Secondly,  they  felt,  as  most  employers  do,  that 
there  was  a  certain  lack  of  efficiency,  that  employees  were 
not  giving  their  best  efforts  to  their  work,  and  they  be- 
lieved there  should  be  some  one  there  to  help  direct  and 
train  them,  or  stimulate  others  to  do  so,  that  a  more  in- 
telligent and  efficient  working  body  might  result.  While 
these  two  lines  of  thought  merge  into  each  other,  they  are 
fairly  distinct  in  their  actual  application. 

PRELIMINARY    PREPARATION. 

With  these  general  ideas  we  started  in.  I  knew  nothing 
about  a  store,  so  I  felt  that  the  first  thing  to  do  was  to 
study  conditions  and  learn  the  organization  of  the  place, 
the  duties  of  each  person,  and  everything  connected  with 
the  work'ing  system.  I  went  in,  therefore,  for  three 
months  as  floor  manager,  which  with  us  is  a  position 
somewhat  larger  than  that  of  the  ordinary  "  floor  walker," 
being  more  executive.  In  that  position  I  came  in  contact 
with  every  part  of  the  store  organization  and  system.  I 
was  put  upon  the  busiest  floor,  the  one  containing  the 
most  people.  It  seemed  the  best  floor  from  which  to  work, 
in  order  to  get  control  of  conditions. 

After  three  months  of  work  and  study  on  the  floor, 
I  had  a  complete  idea  of  store  organization  and  an  insight 
into  the  special  conditions  and  limitations  of  our  own 
store.  I  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  fundamental  things 
that  really  make  the  conditions  of  store  life.  I  also  be- 
came acquainted  with  many  people  and  gained  their  con- 
fidence. Meanwhile  nothing  was  said  of  my  work  in  any 
other  capacity. 

At  the  end  of  that  time,  I  quietly  went  into  an  office. 


No.  Description. 

58 — Coke  pullers'  washroom. 

59 — Bicycle  shed  in  a  manufacturing  plant. 


28 


8^                                  &^<r  'S| 

^H^  ^ 

sn 

^^ 

^j 

^^H^^I^^^^^H 

- 

£RSITY 

OF 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  29 

We  said  nothing  about  the  work  to  be  done.  We  did  not 
name  the  office.  We  simply  decided  to  work  the  thing 
out.  One  of  the  firm  had  up  to  that  time  the  superintend- 
ency  of  the  employees,  adjusting  their  grievances  and 
determining  their  promotions  and  positions.  As  the 
people  came  to  his  office  with  their  difficulties,  he  turned 
them  over  to  me,  so  that  they  gradually  got  into  the  habit 
of  coming  to  me  for  all  sorts  of  things ;  at  the  same  time 
I  was  given  the  opportunity  to  recommend  transfers  and 
promotions  in  pay  and  position. 


A  JUDICIAL  POSITION. 

We  have  endeavored  thus  to  work  out  these  two  lines 
of  thought,  and  I  believe  they  are  a  good  basis  for  Social 
Secretary  work  elsewhere.  Acting  as  intermediary  in  ad- 
justing conditions,  I  came  to  realize  that  I  was  really  in 
a  judicial  position.  One  can  not  justly  represent  the  em- 
ployee's side  only.  This  would  not  even  be  of  large  value 
to  the  employee  himself.  The  employee  being  the  one 
controlled  and  getting  only  a  stated  pecuniary  interest,  his 
interests  and  conditions  naturally  have  to  be  watched  more 
carefully  than  those  of  the  employer,  who  is  investing  his 
capital  in  his  employee's  labor  for  his  own  personal  re- 
turn. So  it  naturally  follows  that  the  Social  Secretary 
must  watch  more  closely  the  needs  and  conditions  of  the 
employee.  But  my  experience  as  an  intermediary  con- 
vinces me  that  the  position  is  essentially  a  judicial  one. 
When  a  complaint  comes  up  for  adjustment,  the  facts  on 
both  sides  have  to  be  marshaled  fairly  and  squarely,  and 
the  decision  reached  on  the  basis  of  what  is  fair  and  just, 
regardless  of  which  side  it  hits.    This  frequently  necessi- 


30  CONFERENCE    ON    IV^LFARE    WORK. 

tates  educating  the  employer  himself  and  again  the  em- 
ployee, who  must  be  convinced  that  he  has  not  looked  on 
all  sides  of  the  question.  This  gives  the  most  valuable 
opportunity  for  developing  the  broad  business  intelli- 
gence needed  by  the  employee,  and  the  recognition  of  the 
"  human  element  "  by  the  employer. 


RANGE  OF  COMPLAINTS. 

The  complaints  brought  in  have  varied  from  unhygienic 
conditions  to  what  we  consider  fundamental  things : 
wages  and  hours.  Wages  have  been  thrown  open  to  the 
Social  Secretary's  office.  In  fact,  the  superintendent  ex- 
pects recommendations  from  the  Social  Secretary  as  to 
increase  of  wages,  transfers  of  position,  opportunities  for 
the  employee  to  do  better  work ;  and  there  is  no  change  in 
wages,  as  a  rule,  without  the  signature  of  the  Social 
Secretary,  or  her  recommendation.  I  am  expected  at 
regular  intervals  to  send  in  such  recommendations  and 
statements  that  aflfect  vitally  the  condition  and  position 
of  the  employees.  No  question  arises  in  the  house  that 
I  do  not  have  the  privilege  of  entering  into.  I  work  with 
the  superintendent,  who  fully  expects  my  testimony  shall 
come  to  him  on  all  questions.  He  realizes  that  he  is  the 
one  in  power,  but  he  is  perfectly  willing  to  hear  facts  pre- 
sented to  him  of  every  kind  and  from  every  proper 
source,  and  that  attitude  has  grown  bigger  and  bigger, 
until  it  has  come  to  be  a  perfectly  natural  thing  that  the 
superintendent  shall  not  represent  a  despotic  authority, 
but  an  intelligently  informed  one,  ready  for  just  action. 


I 


CONFERENCE   ON    WELFARE    WORK.  31 

SPECIAL    EDUCATIONAL    EFFORTS. 

Along  the  line  of  benefiting  employees,  we  have  had 
classes,  lectures,  and  talks  in  salesmanship,  and  in  de- 
veloping the  personality  of  our  people,  who  come  in  con- 
tact with  the  public.  The  aim  of  this  work  has  been  to 
help  them  to  become  more  efficient,  and  thus  earn  more 
wages  and  hold  better  positions. 

AN    ASSOCIATION    ORGANIZED. 

At  the  time  we  began  to  develop  this  office  there  was 
an  organization  already  started  that  was  instituted 
originally  by  the  firm  in  connection  with  the  most  progres- 
sive people  in  the  house,  the  idea  being  that  the  body  of 
the  peop'le  should  organize  together  with  the  firm  to 
work  out  a  plan  by  which  they  might  improve  their  own 
condition.  The  firm  had  in  mind  distinctly  the  fact  that 
there  was  no  value  in  this  movement  unless  it  grew  out 
of  the  development  of  the  people  themselves.  They  had 
already  made  several  experiments  of  doing  things  indi- 
vidually, and  giving  things  to  the  employees,  and  they  had 
finally  come  to  the  conclusion  that  these  efforts  were 
failures.  They  decided  that  the  really  vital  thing  was  to 
get  the  people  to  do  things  themselves,  the  firm  simply 
being  individual  members  of  the  organization  together 
with  their  employees.  They  named  this  organization 
"  The  Filene  Cooperative  Association."  As  Social  Secre- 
tary I  have  no  connection  with  it,  any  more  than  the 
superintendent  has  as  superintendent.  The  officers  are 
elected  by  the  Association,  but  it  happened  that  I  was 
elected  Secretary,  and  have  held  the  position  more  or  less 


32 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 


ever  since.  By  the  way,  there  is  an  election  which  takes 
place  this  coming  week,  and  I  told  them  I  did  not  want 
them  to  think  the  position  of  Secretary  hereditary. 

The  Social  Secretary  has  never  in  any  way  forced  her- 
self upon  the  Association,  nor  has  any  one  else  connected 
with  the  store.  I  have  simply  been  connected  with  the  As- 
sociation as  an  elected  Secretary,  and,  of  course,  in  that 
position  I  have  been  expected  to  push  the  Committees 
and  to  more  or  less  plan  and  direct  the  work. 

The  Association  began  its  work  with  an  insurance 
fund,  which  insures  its  members  against  illness,  and  has 
a  death  benefit  connected  with  it.  I  am  not  going  into 
details  about  it,  but  there  have  been  several  standing  com- 
mittees which  are  incorporated  in  their  constitution,  ap- 
plying distinctly  to  the  business  of  the  store,  and  which  I 
shall  enumerate;  but  before  doing  so,  I  wish  to  say  that 
the  aim  of  this  Association,  as  stated  in  the  Constitution, 
is  to  create  a  greater  efficiency  on  the  part  of  its  mem- 
bers, and  give  them  greater  social  opportunities. 

THE    STORE    RULES. 

The  scope  of  the  Association — and  that  is  what  you  are 
particularly  interested  in — is  the  power  to  vote  upon  all 
general  rules  governing  the  store  that  affect  the  efficiency 
of  the  employees.  I  have  here  with  me  the  new  store 
rules,  issued  by  the  house  this  spring.  You  will  find 
stamped  in  our  store  rules  on  the  first  page  outside,  a 
little  notice  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  members 
have  the  power  to  offer  suggestions  and  criticisms,  which 
will  be  taken  up  by  the  Association.  Inside  you  will  find 
a  statement  of  the  scope  of  the  Association ;  that  it  has 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  33 

the  power  to  initiate,  enlarge,  or  amend  the  rules  affect- 
ing the  efficiency  of  the  employees.  That  word  "  effici- 
ency "  is  a  very  large  word.  You  note  we"  could  take  up 
the  question  of  advertising  policy,  which  may  materially 
affect  the  efficiency  of  the  employees,  or  the  question  of 
window  dressing,  or  any  business  policy  actually  affect- 
ing the  progress  of  the  store.  At  the  back  of  the  book 
you  will  find  several  little  statements  that  will  show  you 
that  our  Company  (we  are  now  a  corporation)  intend 
that  this  Association  shall  be  distinctly  democratic.  And 
that  they  actually  mean  that  the  Association  shall  govern 
the  store  as  far  as  it  can  according  to  these  rules.  This 
does  not  mean  that  any  special  officer  or  person  may  not 
issue  his  own  rules,  but  it  does  mean  that  if  any  of  these 
special  people  issue  a  rule  which  affects  the  general 
efficiency  of  the  employees,  the  people  may  act  upon  it. 
A  rule  thus  issued  by  an  executive  goes  into  immediate 
effect,  the  Association  in  that  instance  being  an  appellate 
body,  within  its  scope. 

Among  the  standing  committees  we  have  our  "  Sug- 
gestion Committee,"  with  which  many  of  you  are  familiar, 
offering  prizes  weekly  for  suggestions.  These  sugges- 
tions are  considered  by  a  committee  elected  by  the  Asso- 
ciation, so  that  the  committee  has  power  to  accept  or  re- 
ject suggestions.  The  prizes  paid  are  fifty  cents  and  one 
dollar. 

ARBITRATION   AND   DISCIPLINE. 

The  committee  which  fundamentally  affects  the  store 
jand  its  government  is  the  Arbitration  Committee.  Our 
store  had  never  had  any  system  of  fines  or  charges  for 
loss,  and  people  in  authority  throughout  the  house  felt 


34  CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK. 

that  we  should  have.  The  question  came  up  before  the 
Association.  Some  one  moved  that  a  committee  known 
as  the  Arbitration  Committee  be  chosen,  a  member  to 
be  elected  from  each  floor  in  the  house  by  the  people  on 
the  floor.  The  superintendent  could  then  charge  persons 
for  any  negligent  loss  or  breakage,  and  such  person  could 
then  have  the  right  of  appeal  to  the  Arbitration  Com- 
mittee. This  committee  was  originated  about  three  years 
ago,  and  this  general  outline  applies  to-day  as  it  did 
then.  It  has  broadened  in  its  power,  however,  to  take 
in  every  sort  of  complaint  between  the  employees  and 
the  firm,  between  the  employees  and  any  one  in  authority, 
or  between  one  employee  and  another. 

This  power  includes  dismissals.  One  of  the  firm  hap- 
pened at  one  time  to  dismiss  a  man,  and  he  appealed  to  the 
other  member  and  said  he  was  unjustly  dismissed,  and 
the  two  members  decided  to  permit  him  to  present  his 
case  to  the  Arbitration  Committee.  Since  then  they  have 
thrown  open  to  the  Arbitration  Committee  the  privilege 
of  appeal  in  all  dismissals.  Among  the  several  dismissals 
acted  upon,  they  have  reinstated  two  or  three  people.  In 
one  case  they  recommended  leniency  on  account  of  past 
good  work.  In  another  case  they  reinstated  the  employee 
on  probation  for  one  week. 

This  Arbitration  Committee  has  not  only  exercised  its 
whole  power,  but  has  proved  to  be  a  body  showing  re- 
markable common  sense  and  impartiality.  It  is  actually 
elected  by  secret  ballot  from  the  people  on  the  floors; 
the  house  has  left  it  entirely  alone,  and  accepted  its  judg- 
ments, and  the  result  has  been  a  body  that,  acting  without 
intimidation  from  the  house  or  pressure  from  the  em- 
ployees, has  rendered  just  decisions,  so  that  it  is  in  equally 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  35 

good  repute  with  the  house  and  with  the  employees.  The 
decisions  in  favor  of  each  side  keep  pretty  close  together 
in  point  of  number,  the  small  majority  being  in  favor  of 
the  employees.  The  firm  recommend  Arbitration  Com- 
mittees, as  I  think  Mr.  Filene  did  at  your  previous  gather- 
ing here,  because  our  Arbitration  Committee  has  proved 
to  our  people  in  authority  that  they  can  run  the  house 
and  adjust  the  uncomfortable  things  with  less  friction 
through  the  Arbitration  Committee  than  in  any  other  way, 
and  have  a  more  contented  and  happier  set  of  people,  be- 
cause facts  are  sifted  and  weighed  and  adjudged  by  their 
own  representatives. 


COMMITTEES. 

There  are  other  committees  that  affect  the  government 
of  the  store.  We  have  a  Bank  Committee,  a  Library  Com- 
mittee, a  Lecture  Committee.  The  distinguishing  mark 
in  all  these  things  is  that  they  are  governed  by  our 
people  themselves.  Our  doctors,  dentist,  etc.,  are  chosen 
by  the  people,  who  pay  for  their  treatment  themselves. 
The  firm  pays  nothing. 

One  committee  that  vitally  affects  us  is  the  Club  House 
Committee.  We  have  a  house  in  the  rear  of  our  building 
which  is  larger  than  the  ordinary  house  usually  provided 
by  firms  for  an  employees'  lunch  room.  Excepting  the 
rent,  the  Association  pays  the  running  expenses.  The 
Club  House  Committee  manages  the  luncheon  room  and 
the  social  room  and  everything  else  connected  with  our 
club  house.  The  superintendent  of  the  store  has  nothing 
to  do  with  it  except  to  provide  for  its  protection, 


36  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

SOCIAL    FEATURES. 

The  object  of  the  luncheon  room  is  to  furnish  whole- 
some food  at  the  lowest  possible  rates.  We  have  little 
social  tables  where  the  people  may  sit.  Every  one  mingles 
there  in  the  most  democratic  manner:  the  sales  force, 
buyers,  firm,  apprentices,  etc. 

In  our  social  room  we  have  the  library.  The  Boston 
Public  Library  has  thought  sufficiently  of  the  movement 
to  make  a  little  center  there,  and  we  have  a  branch  of  the 
Boston  Public  Library,  but  the  work  is  under  the  charge 
of  the  committee  elected  by  our  people. 

In  short,  in  all  these  things,  we  stand  for  the  demo- 
cratic idea  that  we  are  all  working  together  through  these 
committees  elected  by  us,  and  the  members  of  the  firm 
have  each  one  vote  just  the  same  as  any  one  in  the  Asso- 
ciation. This  is  the  fundamental  idea  running  through 
the  Association.  This  idea  extends  also  through  all  the 
Social  Secretary  work.  When  a  complaint  comes  in, 
there  is  this  same  democratic  idea  of  how  we  can  make 
this  person  bigger  and  stronger  and  better  able  to  take 
a  place  in  the  store  organization  and  earn  bigger  wages. 

Last  week  we  had  the  first  dinner  of  the  "  Filene  Co- 
operative Association."  This  was  our  first  attempt  in 
the  way  of  a  dinner,  so  we  got  the  best  person  we  knew, 
who  stood  for  character,  intelligence,  and  power,  and  that 
was  President  Eliot,  of  Harvard  University,  who  thought 
sufficiently  of  our  Association  to  come  as  our  guest,  and 
bring  Mrs.  Eliot  with  him.  We  had  our  own  Associa- 
tion President  preside.  At  the  head  table  sat  the  Chair- 
men of  our  Committees.  It  was  an  affair  of  our  own 
people  in  our  own  club  house,  and  by  our  own  commit- 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  37 

tees,  carrying  out  the  keynote  of  all  our  work,  the  idea  of 
doing  the  work  ourselves. 

Mr.  Chairman,  I  shall  be  glad  to  answer  any  questions. 

Question:  Has  the  Association  made  any  changes  in 
the  rules?    Answer:  Yes. 

(At  this  point  Mr.  Vreeland,  the  Chairman,  was  obliged 
to  temporarily  vacate  the  chair  to  meet  another  engage- 
ment, and  called  on  Mr.  John  H.  Patterson,  one  of  the 
vice-chairmen,  to  preside  in  his  absence.) 

Mr.  Patterson,  upon  taking  the  chair,  said : 

"  I  am  pleased  to  see  so  many  delegates  from  prominent 
concerns,  representing  the  varied  industries  in  different 
parts  of  the  country,  and  I  am  more  pleased  to  notice 
the  interest  manifested  in  the  work  of  this  Federation.  I 
believe  we  will  all  be  much  benefited  by  the  result  of  these 
deliberations — as  our  varied  experiences  when  made  into 
a  composite  statement  will  be  of  the  greatest  value. 

"  Miss  Hirschler  was  asked  a  question." 

EXAMPLES   OF   CHANGES   IN   RULES. 

Miss  Hirschler:  The  question  was  as  to  whether 
our  Association  has  ever  changed  any  rules.  They  have 
done  so  a  number  of  times.  One,  for  example,  in  re- 
lation to  the  method  of  stamping  time.  Some  of  the 
people  objected  to  it,  and  it  was  brought  up  before  the  As- 
sociation. A  motion  was  made  that  the  method  in  ques- 
tion be  abolished;  the  superintendent  presented  his  side 
of  the  case ;  the  vote  went  against  him  and  the  method  was 
abolished. 

Another  thing  that  was  a  little  more  fundamental  was 
the  action  to  change  the  time  of  closing  the  store.     In 


38     CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

the  early  days  of  the  Association  several  of  the  big  stores 
determined  to  change  their  time  for  opening  and  closing, 
and  the  change  in  time  was  more  of  an  inconvenience  to 
the  employees  than  the  previous  method.  The  matter 
was  presented  to  the  Association,  and  the  argument  at 
first  was  in  the  direction  of  no  change.  But  some  one 
got  up  and  asked :  Where  would  we  be  if  the  house  across 
the  street  was  open  when  we  were  closed?  As  our  sales- 
people are  paid  the  regular  market  salary,  and  in  addition 
to  that  a  commission  upon  their  sales  over  a  certain 
amount,  they  at  once  pictured  shoppers  passing  by  our 
closed  doors.  So  the  current  turned  along  the  line  of  their 
own  interest,  which  was  identically  that  of  the  firm, 
and  they  voted  to  change  the  hours  just  the  same  as  in 
the  other  stores.  Afterward  the  stores  went  back  to  the 
old  system,  which  we  also  did. 

In  another  instance:  Summer  before  last  the  fifth  of 
July  fell  on  Saturday.  Many  of  the  New  York  stores 
closed  on  Saturday,  and  many  of  our  people  wanted  to 
close  the  store  on  Saturday,  but  none  of  the  other  stores 
in  Boston  intended  to  do  so.  The  question  came  up  be- 
fore the  Association.  The  firm  refused  to  express  an 
opinion,  and  after  a  free  discussion  the  Association  voted 
to  close  the  store  on  Saturday,  making  a  three  days' 
holiday.  Our  advertising  manager  at  once  issued  cir- 
culars to  all  the  stores  in  Boston  telling  them  we  were 
going  to  close  on  Saturday,  giving  them  the  same  privi- 
lege before  we  came  out  with  our  advertisement  on 
Sunday.  They  all  refused ;  the  result  was  that  we  were 
the  only  store  that  was  closed  on  Saturday,  and  our  people 
had  a  three  days'  holiday,  and  it  has  been  the  universal 
feeling,  even  with  the  people  in  authority,  that  it  was  a 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  39 

very  wise  thing.  In  fact,  the  Association  has  never  done 
anything  that  we  have  not  found  in  the  long  run  to  have 
been  the  best  thing.  The  consensus  of  opinion  was  better 
than  the  action  of  a  few  people. 

We  have  had  a  variety  of  instances  where  the  Asso- 
ciation has  voted  on  some  rule  and  it  has  been  abolished. 
Of  course,  in  all  I  have  told  you  to-day,  the  question 
naturally  arises  how  vitally  and  extensively  these  things 
are  being  carried  out.  I  can  only  say  that  at  our  din- 
ner we  had  almost  three-iourths  of  our  people  present, 
and  they  were  a  happy  family.  We  had  on  the  tables,  for 
example,  a  number  of  vases,  I  think  eighty-four,  and 
the  next  day  they  were  all  bought  in  a  couple  of 'hours 
by  people  who  wanted  them  as  souvenirs  of  the  dinner. 
The  response  to  the  dinner,  of  course,  showed  a  whole- 
some spirit  in  the  Association. 

AN  employees'  periodical. 

I  have  not  mentioned  our  newspaper.  We  have  a 
monthly  paper  which  is  never  seen  by  the  firm  until  it 
comes  out,  and  they  pay  their  little  five  cents  for  it  just 
as  the  rest  of  us  do.  That  shows  the  confidence  they  have 
that  we  will  not  disclose  business  matters,  as  well  as 
their  willingness  to  allow  freedom  of  expression.  The 
paper  is  a  year  and  a  half  old,  and  no  objections  have  ever 
been  made  to  anything  printed  in  it.  The  editor  and  ad- 
visory staff  are  elected  by  the  people ;  they  edit  the  paper ; 
it  is  not  seen  by  any  one  in  authority,  or  by  any  one  out- 
side of  the  committee,  except  by  their  own  seeking,  until 
issued  and  sold.  Our  dinner  the  other  evening  was  paid 
for  by  the  people,  the  firm  paying  their  share  just  as 
every  one  else  did,  and  no  more. 


40  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

Question:  Do  I  understand  that  each  member  of  the 
firm  votes  the  same  as  any  employee?  Do  the  firm  have 
any  representation  on  any  of  these  committees,  and  do 
they  always  vote? 

Answer :  They  do  not  have  any  representation  as  such ; 
they  vote  with  the  floors  on  which  their  offices  are  located, 
the  same  as  any  other  individual;  the  Arbitration  Com- 
mittee has  no  representation  from  the  firm.  There  are 
naturally  people  in  positions  of  responsibility  who  are 
elected  on  our  committees.  We  have  had  as  President  of 
the  Association  our  superintendent,  our  merchandise  man- 
ager, members  of  the  firm,  and  we  have  had  people  from 
the  ranks.  Our  present  President,  who  had  charge  of 
the  dinner  the  other  evening,  was  elected  from  the  book- 
keeping office,  and  is  now  in  charge  of  the  receiving  office ; 
and  we  have  on  the  dififerent  committees  others  elected 
from  among  the  people,  and  also  from  the  executives. 

The  Chairman  :  Mr.  W.  G.  Mather,  President  of  the 
Cleveland  Cliffs  Iron  Company,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  will 
give  a  view  of  welfare  work  in  a  mining  district. 

Mr. .Mather:  We  have  done  very  little  in  the  line  of 
welfare  w'ork,  and  I  feel,  therefore,  as  if  I  had  no  right  to 
talk  before  the  people  here,  because  we  have  done  com- 
paratively nothing,  with  the  exception  of  trying  to  improve 
the  housing  of  our  employees. 

Our  organization  is  a  mining  company  in  the  mining 
district  of  Lake  Superior,  at  Ishpeming,  Michigan,  and 
our  miners  are  of  all  nationalities,  such  as  Cornishmen, 
Swedes,  Frenchmen  and  Finlanders.  As  these  men  repre- 
sent the  great  bulk  of  our  employees,  we  have  as  yet  at- 
tempted little  in  the  nature  of  club  houses  or  social  work 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  41 

among  them,  because  we  have  been  afraid  of  the  difficul- 
ties of  this  nationaHty  question,  owing  to  the  fact  that  they 
do  not  associate  with  each  other.  The  different  nationali- 
ties have  their  own  churches  and  societies,  and  mingle  with 
each  other  to  a  very  small  degree. 

Furthermore,  our  location  affords  opportunity  for  our 
people  to  have  outdoor  recreations,  such  as  going  out  into 
the  woods,  picnicking,  hunting  and  fishing,  thus  doing 
away  with  the  necessity  of  providing  playgrounds  and 
breathing  spaces,  such  as  would  be  required  in  a  city. 

HOMES  OF  EMPLOYEES. 

We  encourage  our  employees  to  own  their  houses, 
not  by  advancing  money,  but  simply  by  selling  or  leasing 
them  the  land,  allowing  long  time  payments,  very  cheap 
land  and  cheap  rents.  We  build  as  few  houses  as  pos- 
sible, as  we  find  it  much  better  for  our  people  to  own  their 
houses. 

PRIZES  FOR  NEAT  PREMISES. 

We  offer  prizes  for  well-kept  premises.  That  has  been 
done  for  nine  or  ten  years,  and  the  results  have  been  ex- 
tremely satisfactory.  Competitors  have  been  numerous 
and  the  general  improvement  of  the  town  has  been  very 
marked.  The  reasons  are  apparent.  One  man  has  a  nice 
looking  garden,  and  he  gets  recognition  in  the  shape  of  a 
prize,  and  his  neighbor,  who  may  not  have  thought  before 
of  improving  his  place,  is  immediately  stimulated  to  do 
similar  work,  partly  for  the  prize  and  partly  through  his 
aroused  desire  to  have  his  premises  look  as  well  as  those 
of  his  neighbor.     This  is  true  not  only  of   vegetable 


42  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

gardens,  planting  of  vines  and  flowers,  but  the  men  have 
also  recently  been  spending  some  money  in  painting  their 
houses  and  fixing  their  fences  and  outbuildings. 

COMPULSORY  BENEFIT  FUND. 

We  have  a  benefit  fund  for  our  employees,  that  is 
created  by  rather  an  arbitrary  method.  We  take  thirty 
cents  a  month  from  each  employee,  to  which  amount  the 
company  contributes  a  like  amount,  equaling  in  total  the 
amount  contributed  by  all  of  the  employees.  This  is  dis- 
tributed in  the  way  of  benefits  to  those  who  are  sick,  or 
who  have  met  with  accidents  while  in  the  employ  of  the 
company,  the  families  or  heirs  receiving  a  fixed  sum  in 
case  of  the  employee's  death.  This  fund  was  formerly 
managed,  and  theoretically  is  still,  by  a  committee  of  the 
employees,  but  practically  the  management  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  officers  of  the  company,  the  employees  taking  little 
interest  in  its  management,  being  entirely  satisfied  to  leave 
it  to  the  company,  in  conjunction  with  the  doctors — all 
payments  being  made  on  the  doctor's  certificate. 

THE  HOSPITAL  AND  DOCTORS. 

The  hospital  building  is  owned  by  the  company,  and  is 
rented  out  to  a  firm  of  doctors,  who  are  selected  by  the 
company,  with  care  to  see  that  they  are  practitioners  of 
character,  experience,  and  ability,  and  also  of  kindly 
nature  and  imbued  with  the  humanitarian  spirit.  We  take 
one  dollar  a  month  from  each  of  our  employees,  and  put 
it  in  this  hospital  fund,  which  is  paid  to  the  doctors,  and 
for  this  all  of  our  employees  and  their  families  receive 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  43 

attendance,  medicines,  and  treatment  of  all  kinds  without 
further  charge. 

A  ''changing  house/' 

The  work  of  our  miners  is  very  dirty,  and  it  is,  there- 
fore, impossible  for  them  to  wear  their  mining  clothes  on 
the  street  in  coming  from  and  going  to  their  homes.  Until 
recently  very  little  attention  has  been  given  to  the  matter 
of  comfort  and  cleanliness  in  the  buildings  provided  for 
the  miners  to  change  their  clothes.  Our  new  "  changing 
house,"  as  it  is  called,  is  a  fireproof  structure  containing, 
among  other  things,  shower  baths ;  an  adequate  supply  of 
wash-troughs  containing  individual  enameled  iron  wash- 
basins, with  hot  and  cold  water ;  drying  racks  for  the  mine 
clothes ;  lockers ;  an  office  for  the  shift-bosses ;  an  emer- 
gency hospital  room  with  all  appliances;  and  a  room  in 
which  the  men  may  eat  their  luncheons.  This  building 
was  erected  about  three  years  ago.  At  that  time  it  was 
one  of  the  most  advanced  in  the  point  of  comfort  and 
convenience  of  any  in  the  Lake  Superior  mining  region, 
and  improvements  along  this  line  have  now  become  the 
subject  of  careful  consideration  by  other  employers. 

CLUB    HOUSES. 

At  one  of  our  furnace  plants  in  Gladstone,  Michigan, 
where  the  works  are  some  three  miles  from  the  village,  we 
were  much  troubled  by  the  influence  of  certain  saloons, 
which  were  established  just  outside  of  our  grounds,  and 
over  which  we  had  no  control.  In  order  to  minimize  the 
evil  result  of  these  saloons,  we  decided  two  years  ago  to 
put  up  a  club  house.    In  this  house,  ^he  office  employees 


No.  Description. 

I — Exterior  of  a  *'  changing-house  "  in  a  mining  district, 
where  the  men  find  it  necessary  to  change  their  cloth- 
ing before  entering  the  mine.  This  fireproof  struc- 
ture is  so  arranged  that  it  is  easily  kept  clean.  It 
contains  a  wash-room,  shower  baths,  a  locker  room, 
an  office  for  the  shift  bosses,  an  emergency  hospital, 
and  a  room  where  the  men  may  eat  their  luncheons. 

2 — The  wash-room.  It  contains  adequate  wash-troughs 
with  individual  enameled  iron  basins.  Both  hot  and 
cold  water  are  supplied.  Each  man  draws  water 
into  his  basin,  and  after  washing  empties  it  into  the 
trough,  which  immediately  drains  itself.  This  is  a 
great  improvement  over  the  trough  system  in  general 
use,  where  it  is  impossible  for  each  employee  to  have 
clean  water.  This  room  also  contains,  along  one  of 
the  walls,  a  fine  system  of  shower  baths. 

3 — The  locker  room.  It  contains  individual  expanded 
metal  lockers  and,  in  the  center,  drying  racks  for 
the  mine  clothes.  Over  each  of  these  racks  is  a  large 
ventilating  hood.  Between  the  racks  and  lockers  are 
stationary  benches. 


44 


»l.  I     !    i    I    II  I  I  II 


OF 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  45 

have  their  regular  dining-room,  where  their  lunches  are 
served  at  a  moderate  cost,  and  it  is  kept  open  all  day  and 
until  late  at  night  for  the  use  of  the  employees.  Beer, 
cigars,  coifee,  and  light  refreshments,  such  as  sandwiches 
and  biscuits,  are  sold  at  practically  cost.  We  have  hoped 
that  this  opportunity  to  buy  beer  and  cigars  ciieaper  than 
at  the  saloons,  and  with  the  opportunity  to  play  cards, 
billiards,  and  other  games,  might  prove  deterrent  to  the 
patronage  of  the  saloons.  To  a  certain  extent  this  has 
been  the  case. 

At  Ishpeming  we  have  a  commodious  office  building, 
the  upper  floor  being  used  as  a  club  and  assembly  room. 
Attached  to  this  is  a  kitchen  and  a  billiard-room.  This  is 
used  by  all  the  officers,  clerks,  and  heads  of  the  various 
mining  departments  of  the  company,  located  at  Ishpeming. 
It  is  managed  by  a  club  of  these  employees  called  "  The 
Cleveland  Cliffs  Club,"  and  each  member  wears  a  little 
button  as  a  badge  of  his  membership.  Sufficient  dues  are 
collected  from  each  to  pay  for  several  suppers  and  recep- 
tions each  year. 

In  addition  to  this,  at  the  monthly  meetings,  topics  con- 
nected with  the  management  of  the  mines  are  assigned, 
upon  which  papers  are  written  and  discussions  invited. 
Sometimes  outsiders  come  in  and  give  talks  upon  similar 
subjects.  It  is  also  used  by  the  Mechanical  Club,  com- 
posed of  the  machinists,  firemen,  and,  in  fact,  by  all  the 
employees  connected  with  the  Master  Mechanic's  Depart- 
ment. A  bowling  alley  is  located  in  the  basement  of  the 
office  building.  This  club  and  the  facilities  connected 
therewith — ^there  is  a  library  and  reading-room  attached — 
have  been  very  well  patronized  by  the  people  for  whom 
they  were  intended. 


46  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

The  Secretary  :  Since  Mr.  Mather  feels  that  his  com- 
pany does  very  little  in  this  direction,  and  we  have  found 
that  frequently  those  who  are  doing  the  best  welfare  work 
make  no  pretensions  along  that  line,  it  seems  apropos  to 
read  a  letter  which  we  received  this  morning : 

Cincinnati,  Ohio,  March  14,  1904. 
H.  H.  Vreeland,  Esq.,  Chairman  Welfare  Department,  The 
National    Civic    Federation,    281    Fourth    Avenue,    New 
York  City. 
Dear  Sir  :  We  have  your  favor  of  the  loth  instant. 
We  built  our  new  factories  here  with  the  best  sanitary  condi- 
tions we  knew  how  to  put  in.    We  heat  and  ventilate  the  work- 
rooms with  a  constant  circulation  of  fresh  air,  heated  or  cooled 
as  the  occasion  requires.     We  have  large,  commodious  dressing- 
rooms,  provided  with   separate  lockers  for  each  employee.     We 
built  a  large  lunch-room,  with  the  best  kitchen  equipment,  where 
we  serve  the  best  food  at  cost  only.    Music  is  furnished  during  the 
lunch  hour. 

Our  work-day  is  nine  hours,  with  the  beginning  and  closing  time 
arranged  to  give  our  people  the  best  car  service,  to  enable  them 
to  get  back  and  forth  to  their  homes  in  the  best  possible  manner. 
In  taking  on  new  people  we  are  careful  to  comply  with  all  the 
State  labor  laws,  and  employ  people  of  good  character  only. 
Aside  from  this,  we  have  not  engaged  in  welfare  work. 
Yours  very  truly, 
(Signed)         THE  U.  S.  PLAYING  CARD  COMPANY, 

John  Omwake,  President. 

Permit  me  to  remind  you  that  we  have  had  welfare 
work  in  three  typical  industries  presented  this  morning 
— first,  in  a  manufacturing  institution,  by  Mr.  Nazro ;  sec- 
ond, in  a  retail  store,  by  Miss  Hirschler ;  and,  third,  in  a 
mining  district,  by  Mr.  Mather. 

Our  Executive  Committee  has  arranged  to  issue  a  re- 
quest to  employers  promoting  welfare  work  for  especial 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  47 

information  relative  to  their  successes  and  failures  for  our 
Bureau  of  Exchange.  Some  of  the  questions  to  be  asked 
are: 

1.  What  is  the  first  practical  step? 

2.  Should  the  company  take  the  initiative,  or  encourage 
and  await  suggestions  from  the  employees? 

3.  By  whom  shall  welfare  work  be  done — by  the  em- 
ployer, by  the  employees,  by  both,  or  by  an  outside  force? 

4.  Shall  employees  pay  for  all  luncheon,  educational 
and  recreative  features  ? 

5.  If  you  have  had  any  failures,  to  what  do  you  ascribe 
their  causes  ? 

It  may  be  well  to  give  these  questions,  with  reference 
to  installing  and  maintaining  welfare  work,  consideration 
in  the  discussions  to-day. 

The  Chairman:  Mr.  E.  M.  Herr,  Vice-President  of 
the  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company,  of  Wilmerding, 
Pa.,  will  now  give  us  the  benefit  of  their  experience. 

Mr.  Herr:  Mr.  Chairman,  I  have  come  here  entirely 
unprepared  to  present  what  little  we  have  done  in  the 
way  of  social  betterment  work,  but  will  endeavor  to  give 
you  a  general  idea.  What  we  have  undertaken  has  not 
been  done  in  any  direct  way  by  the  company.  The  present 
plant  of  the  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company,  located 
at  Wilmerding,  Pa.,  about  fourteen  miles  east  of  Pitts- 
burg, was  built  about  eleven  years  ago.  At  the  time  it  was 
constructed  there  was  nothing  else  there.  Soon  after  its 
erection  a  town  sprang  up  about  it. 


5©  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

room  flats  having  the  bathroom  with  enameled  bath-tub 
and  open  plumbing.  Every  attention  has  been  given  to 
sanitation.  We  are  in  the  region  of  natural  gas,  and  in 
erecting  these  flats  the  rooms  are  almost  all  fitted  with  an 
open  grate,  and  have  natural  gas,  so  that  they  can  be 
heated  individually.  They  are  all  wired  for  electric  light, 
which  the  employees  can  use,  or  they  may  use  gas,  as  they 
choose.  The  gas  is  the  cheaper  and  more  generally  used. 
These  houses  are  also  built  in  groups  of  two,  double 
houses,  containing  about  six  rooms. 

The  three  and  four  room  flats  rent  for  $13  and  $14  a 
month,  the  double  houses  rent  for  $18,  and  the  single 
houses,  having  seven  rooms  each,  rent  for  %22.  They  are 
all  of  brick  and  fitted  up  with  open  plumbing  and  bath- 
rooms. The  single  houses  each  contain  a  furnace  in  the 
cellar,  a  range  in  the  kitchen,  and  the  improvements  in  the 
other  houses. 

Three  years  ago  we  started  to  offer  prizes  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  grounds  to  encourage  the  interest  of  the 
men  in  their  homes.  That  has  been  continued  ever  since 
with  beneficial  results,  the  prize  list  being  increased  every 
year,  and  there. has  been  a  very  manifest  improvement 
in  the  appearance  of  the  employees'  grounds  and  houses. 

BENEFIT  ASSOCIATION. 

Almost  a  year  ago  the  matter  of  the  relief  of  the  men  in 
case  of  sickness  or  accident,  and  even  of  death,  was  care- 
fully considered.  At  that  time  we  had  an  employees' 
benefit  association,  run  by  the  employees,  organized  and 
managed  by  them.  It  did  not  seem  to  be  very  successful. 
Out  of  a  maximum  community  of  three  thousand  em- 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK,  51 

ployees  this  association  never  succeeded  in  getting  a  mem- 
bership of  over  five  hundred.  It  was  thought  that  the 
plan  the  employees  had  adopted  was  not  the  best  one, 
and  after  a  series  of  conferences  between  the  officers  of 
this  association  and  the  officers  of  the  company,  it  was 
agreed  that  a  plan  for  a  beneficial  association,  outlined 
by  the  company,  based  largely  upon  other  beneficial  asso- 
ciations in  railroad  work,  would  be  advantageous. 

On  a  vote  of  the  entire  membership  of  the  beneficial 
association  it  was  agreed  that  the  association  managed 
by  the  men  should  be  abandoned,  and  that  the  company 
should  undertake  the  management  of  a  new  association. 
The  new  association  was  organized  by  the  company  and 
managed  by  an  advisory  board  so  called.  It  is  run,  as  far 
as  expenses  of  management  are  concerned,  by  the  com- 
pany, who  pay  all  the  expenses  of  its  administration,  and 
it  is  controlled  by  a  board  of  governors  or  advisory  board, 
on  which  are  representatives  of  the  company  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  employees,  all  of  whom  are  members  of 
the  beneficial  association,  and  these  each  have  the  same 
vote. 

The  employees  have  the  right  to  elect  four  officers  of 
its  advisory  board,  as  it  is  called,  and  the  company  ap- 
points four.  The  general  manager  of  the  company  is  ex- 
officio  chairman.  This  new  organization  started  last  June, 
and  by  September  had  a  membership  of  over  fifteen  hun- 
dred. 

Membership  is  entirely  voluntary ;  the  employees  are  not 
compelled  to  join,  and  not  even  urged  to  do  so,  although 
the  advantages  of  it  are  pretty  clearly  set  forth.  It  has 
sick  and  accident  benefits,  and  a  small  death  benefit 
amounting  to  $150,  which  the  company  duplicates,  so 


No.  Description. 

71,  72,  73 — Houses  rented  to  employees  in  a  large  manu- 
facturing community.  These  views  show  the  result 
of  offering  prizes  for  beautifying  the  surroundings. 


52 


HE 

£RS/Ty 

OF 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  53 

that  the  real  death  benefit  to  the  beneficiary  is  three  hun- 
dred dollars. 

The  administration  of  the  work  is  carried  on  by  a  super- 
intendent and  a  medical  director,  who  is,  of  course,  a 
doctor.  The  work  of  the  association  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful so  far,  and  is,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  entirely 
satisfactory  to  the  men. 

This  is  what  has  been  done  without  undertaking  any 
direct  work  by  a  "  social  secretary."  There  have  been 
no  especial  improvements  in  the  work,  although  the  matter 
of  serving  luncheon  has  been  very  carefully  considered, 
and  has  thus  far  been  regarded  as  inexpedient. 

SANITARY  CONDITIONS  OF  WORK. 

Of  course,  we  have  paid  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the 
proper  ventilation  of  the  works  and  the  sanitary  condi- 
tions under  which  the  men  work,  have  provided  closets, 
washrooms,  etc.,  and  a  means  of  furnishing  circulating 
water  cooled  by  artificial  refrigeration  in  the  summer. 
The  source  of  supply  is  an  artesian  well  dug  on  the 
premises.  The  water  is  put  in  a  large  tank,  where  the 
refrigeration  is  caused  by  means  of  an  artificial  ice. plant, 
and  it  is  circulated  by  a  force  pump  throughout  the  works. 
The  water  is  simply  cooled  by  the  pipes  in  the  tank,  there 
being  no  ice  in  it,  and  this  cool  water  can  be  drawn  after 
passing  through  a  Pasteur  filter. 

Mr.  Nazro:  You  spoke  of  mistakes  made  at  the  be- 
ginning, and  as  I  remember  it,  you  didn't  tell  us  about 
them.    How  did  the  association  secretary  err? 

Mr.  Herr:  He  didn't  err  so  much  as  he  didn't  know. 
His  experience  was  among  the  social  settlements  in  Chi- 


54  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

cago,  and,  of  course,  there  he  came  in  contact  with  a  class 
of  people  very  different  from  our  employees,  who  are  gen- 
erally a  pretty  high  class  of  men,  and,  of  course,  not  by 
any  means  paupers,  in  financial  distress,  or  anything  of 
that  sort;  they  are  all  pretty  well  to  do.  He  didn't  ex- 
actly understand  how  to  get  hold  of  those  men,  and  we 
all  realized  very  soon  that  the  way  he  was  going  about  it 
was  rather  detrimental  than  beneficial. 

I  was  very  much  interested  indeed  in  Miss  Hirschler's 
talk,  as  it  showed  very  clearly  to  me  that  the  value  of  her 
work  is,  I  believe,  very  largely  enhanced  through  her 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  problems  entering  into  it, 
as  a  worker  herself  and  working  through  all  the  different 
departments  of  the  organization,  so  that  she  thoroughly 
appreciated  the  whole  problem,  and  knew  the  employees 
and  their  needs.  This  man  was  a  good  man  in  an  educa- 
tional line,  but  he  didn't  understand  the  men  or  their 
needs,  didn't  know  just  how  to  take  them,  and  in  that 
part  of  the  work  he  failed. 

The  Chairman  :  Mr.  O.  F.  Humphreys,  of  the  Patton 
Paint  Company,  Milw^aukee,  Wis.,  and  Newark,  N.  J., 
will  be  our  next  speaker. 

Mr.  Humphreys:  The  Patton  Paint  Company  is* not 
as  old  a  representative  of  welfare  work  as  some  of  the 
firms  whose  efforts  have  been  presented  here  to-day,  but 
it  has  carried  out  a  number  of  betterment  methods  which 
have  proved  of  great  value. 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  55 

VALUE  OF  CLEANLINESS. 

The  materials  used  in  the  manufacture  of  our  products 
being  of  such  a  nature,  and  the  conditions  of  manufac- 
ture such  as  to  render  it  extremely  hard  to  keep  the  plant 
clean,  and  in  addition  to  this  the  raw  materials  which  go 
into  the  work  being  so  expensive  and  so  easily  wasted, 
the  amount  of  welfare  work  which  has  been  done  has  not 
only  greatly  improved  the  appearance  of  the  plant,  but 
has  actually  shown  a  profit  on  the  balance  sheet. 

This  may  be  readily  seen  when  it  is  realized  that  the 
men  are  working  with  pigments  costing  up  to  $4.00  per 
pound,  and  with  liquids  some  of  which  cost  fully  as  much 
per  gallon. 

It  will  readily  be  seen  that  cleanliness  is  a  vital  feature 
in  the  showing  of  profits. 

FREE  OVERALLS   AND   LAUNDRY. 

At  the  start  the  company  bought  two  suits  of  overalls 
for  every  man.  These  were  sent  out  to  a  laundry  to  be 
washed,  the  company  and  men  sharing  equally  the  cost  of 
washing.  But  the  benefit  both  to  the  men  and  to  the  work 
was  so  quickly  evident,  that  the  company  soon  put  in  an 
outfit  of  laundry  machinery,  and  now  does  the  washing  as 
well  as  buying  the  overalls  for  the  men. 

JOINT  EFFORTS  OF  COMPANY  AND  EMPLOYEES. 

The  point  which  has  been  of  the  greatest  value  to  us, 
and  is  doubtless  of  the  utmost  interest  to  every  firm 
starting  on  this  line,  is  the  possibility  of  helpful  coopera- 
tion between  the  employees  themselves  as  well  as  their  co- 
operation with  the  company  in  its  interest. 


No.  Description. 

24 — Lunch  room  for  women  employees  in  a  factory. 
25 — ^Lunch  room  for  women  employees  in  a  factory. 
26 — Lunch  room  for  women  employees  in  a  factory. 


S6 


VERSITY 

OF 
•UFORNlfeg 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  57 

LUNCH  ROOM. 

This  was  the  reason  for  the  next  step  of  welfare  work, 
which  was  the  establishment  in  our  Milwaukee  plant  of 
a  lunch  room,  50  by  90  feet  in  size,  in  which  the  men 
and  girls  have  separate  divisions,  where  we  furnish  free 
either  coffee  or  tea,  and  on  certain  days  of  the  week  a 
large  bowl  of  soup.  The  lunch  room  was  established  as 
the  result  of  the  initiative  of  the  girls,  who  started  in  a 
small  way  among  themselves,  clubbing  together  and  pay- 
ing share  and  share  alike  for  the  tea  or  coffee,  which  they 
bought  and  made,  up  in  their  department,  for  their  own 
lunches.  The  idea  thus  suggested  was  taken  up  by  the 
firm,  and  carried  out  in  connection  with  the  employees. 

employees'  lunch  club. 

Thus  at  present  we  have  not  only  the  general  lunch 
room,  in  which  are  served  the  articles  provided  by  the 
company  for  all  employees,  but  the  employees  themselves 
have  a  mutual  association  in  the  form  of  a  lunch  club, 
which  is  called  the  "  Sun  Proof  Lunch  Club."  This  club 
is  self-supporting,  has  money  in  the  treasury,  and  fur- 
nisheSj  through  its  own  steward  and  officers,  a  lunch 
cooked  in  its  own  kitchen  and  served  by  its  own  em- 
ployees, a  very  good  dinner,  for  which  I  believe  they 
charge  $1.00  a  week. 

application  of  self-help. 

In  these  as  well  as  other  lines  we  have  found  that  the 
chief  benefit  both  to  the  firm  and  to  the  employees  is  in 
helping  them  to  help  themselves.  It  is  a  maxim  that 
what  a  man  does  for  himself  is  worth  four  times  as  much 


58  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

as  anything  done  for  him,  and  that  every  man  is  of  value 
chiefly  as  he  develops  himself,  and  as  he  is  allowed  and 
helped  to  make  the  most  of  himself.  This  is  what  we 
have  had  in  mind  and  have  tried  to  carry  out  in  all  our 
welfare  work. 

FORCES   FOR  EDUCATION. 

The  Query  Club  is  composed  of  employees  who  meet 
regularly  on  Tuesday  evenings  for  what  is  entirely  out 
of  the  line  of  social  amusement  and  recreation,  which 
takes  so  large  a  place  in  the  interests  of  the  average  man 
outside  of  his  work.  This  club  has  its  own  officers  and 
committees,  which  appoint  members  to  read  papers  of 
their  own  composition  and  to  get  up  topics  that  are  helpful 
in  an  educational  way. 

INSTRUCTION  ABOUT  MATERIALS. 

The  program  is  varied,  in  some  cases  the  chemists  of 
the  company  having  been  asked  to  give  an  evening  to 
tests  and  experiments  showing  the  properties  and  char- 
acteristics as  well  as  value  of  the  materials  with  which  the 
men  are  working  day  by  day.  The  Query  Club  has  been 
a  great  success,  educationally,  among  the  employees, 
chiefly,  we  believe,  because  it  was  organized  and  is  con- 
trolled by  their  own  membership  for  the  betterment  of 
their  capabilities  as  workers  with  a  common  interest. 

A   LIBRARY   FOR   WORKERS. 

Another  institution,  equally  successful  along  the  same 
line,  is  the  library  or  rather  the  station  of  the  Public 
Library  of  Milwaukee,  much  the  same  as  Miss  Hirschler 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  59 

has  described  to  you  in  connection  with  the  work  in  Bos- 
ton. This  is  conducted  by  the  employees  as  well.  They 
have  their  own  librarian  and  keep  about  five  hundred 
books,  which  are  renewed  at  intervals  as  required.  The 
books  are  taken  out  on  an  average  of  about  thirty  per  cent, 
of  the  total  number. 

We  have  come  here  rather  to  seek  than  to  give  informa- 
tion, for  we  have  not  yet  gone  far  enough  to  make  a 
distinct  original  contribution  to  the  knowledge  which  you 
all  have  of  this  sort  of  work,  and  I  suppose  at  the  proper 
time  we  shall  be  given  the  privilege  of  asking  the  rest 
of  you  questions  about  what  you  are  doing. 


VOLUNTEER   FIRE   BRIGADE. 

Among  the  organizations  of  our  employees  which  have 
been  of  great  value,  commercially  rather  than  in  a  social 
or  educational  way,  are  those  of  protection  against  fire. 
We  have  a  large  number  of  girls  working  in  our  color 
card  department  and  about  the  building,  and  owing  to 
the  possible  danger  of  fire  and  the  difficulty  of  getting  the 
girls  safely  out  of  the  buildings,  a  fire  brigade  has  been 
formed  among  the  men.  The  officers  are  elected  by  the 
employees,  and  the  organization  has  formulated  rules,  giv- 
ing fire  signals  for  every  department  in  the  various  build- 
ings, so  that  now  when  at  any  time  a  fire  alarm  is  given 
or  an  accident  occurs  which  might  cause  a  panic  the  fire 
brigade  is  on  the  spot  within  forty  to  fifty  seconds,  and 
the  entire  force  of  girls  is  removed  in  a  quiet  and  very 
orderly  way,  reaching  the  street  within  one  and  a  quarter 
to  one  and  a  half  minutes. 


6o  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

WHY  WELFARE  WORK  IS  VALUABLE. 

We  believe  that  welfare  work,  that  betterment  methods 
pay,  because  cleanliness  is  a  saving;  the  higher  type  of 
laborer  or  employee  is  a  saving;  and  just  as  far  as  the 
employee  can  cooperate  with  the  employer,  so  far  the 
employment  is  raised  to  a  plane  where,  not  only  the  in- 
terest, but  the  desires  and  ambitions  of  both  employer  and 
employed  harmonize  and  work  toward  one  common  end, 
which  is  their  ultimate  business  success. 

The  Chairman  :  We  have  with  us  Mr.  J.  E.  Stevens, 
of  the  Ludlow  Manufacturing  Associates,  and  I  will  ask 
Mr.  Charles  W.  Hubbard,  Treasurer  of  the  same  concern, 
to  tell  us  who  he  is. 

Mr.  Hubbard  :  Mr.  Stevens  is  one  of  the  nine  trustees 
of  the  Associates,  and  is  managing  trustee  in  charge  at 
the  works. 

Mr.  Stevens  :  I  did  not  come  prepared  to  say  a  word, 
and  had  not  the  slightest  intimation  that  I  should  be  ex- 
pected to  do  so,  but  I  did  come  with  the  expectation  that 
I  should  learn  some  things  about  the  success  of  welfare 
work. 

character  of  factory  communities. 

It  is  an  unfortunate  fact  that,  since  the  establishment 
of  factory  industries,  a  factory  community  has  rarely 
held  other  than  a  low  place  in  the  public  mind,  and  there 
is  a  sense  in  which  from  earlier  times  factory  workers 
have  been,  so  to  speak,  disclassed.  When  the  great  fac- 
tory period  burst  upon  English  people,  there  had  been 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  6i 

previous  to  that  time  only  what  we  understand  by  do- 
mestic labor,  and  when  machinery  was  first  brought  into 
use,  and  one  discovery  after  another  came  into  view 
with  amazing  rapidity — first  the  spinning  jenny,  then 
the  loom,  then  the  steam  engine — the  great  difficulty 
came  to  be  the  procuring  of  help  to  run  the  machinery, 
and  it  was  under  the  stress  of  necessity  that  people  were 
brought  to  work  in  the  factories. 

THE    FOREIGN    ELEMENT. 

It  is  practically  the  same  to-day,  and  for  that  reason 
one  of  the  unfortunate  sides  of  the  factory  industry  is 
this,  that,  except  in  our  Southern  States,  Americans  are 
not,  as  a  rule,  found  working  in  our  factories.  Mr. 
Nazro,  in  speaking  of  the  Plymouth  Cordage  Company, 
told  you  about  a  paper  published  in  three  different  lan- 
guages, and  I  don't  know  but  that  if  he  investigated 
further  he  would  have  to  add  to  that  number.  We  have 
in  our  employ  nearly  2,000  people;  of  these  some  six 
to  seven  hundred  are  Poles,  perhaps  the  same  number 
are  French,  the  rest  being  Scotch,  Irish,  German,  or  other 
nationalities.  ^ 

MOTIVE  OF   WELFARE   WORK. 

We  became  interested  in  welfare  work  some  twenty 
years  ago.  The  expectation  of  profiting  thereby  was 
never  in  our  minds,  and  is  not  to-day.  We  have  the 
feeling  that  animates  you  all,  and  which  was  well  ex- 
pressed by  a  great  statesman  some  years  ago,  that  "  As 
we  are  passing  through  this  world  just  once,  and  shall 
never  pass  this  way  again,  we  should  like  to  do  what 
good  we  can  as  we  pass  along." 


62     CONFERENCE   ON    WELFARE   WORK. 

CONSTRUCTION  OF  MILLS  AND  HOUSES. 

When  some  thirty  or  more  years  ago  we  purchased 
the  property  where  our  mills  are  located,  we  became  the 
possessors  of  many  old  houses  and  old-fashioned  mill 
buildings,  unsanitary,  b^dly  ventilated,  and  undesirable 
in  every  respect,  and  when  a  change  became  possible,  I 
think  we  realized  that  if  we  were  to  help  our  people  and 
encourage  in  them  that  most  desirable  instinct,  that  of 
self-respect,  •  we  ought  to  begin  by  showing  that  we  re- 
spected them,  and  the  first  thing  we  realized  was  that 
in  building  houses  which  they  would  occupy  as  homes, 
or  mills  in  which  they  would  work,  we  should  provide 
something  more  than  a  simple  covering  or  roof  that 
would  protect  them  from  the  weather.  That  was  the 
old-fashioned  idea.  It  was  followed  in  the  old  country, 
and  formerly  also  in  our  own  land,  when  the  mill  was 
the  cheapest  thing  which  could  be  put  up  to  cover  the 
machinery  and  the  people  who  worked  there;  and,  oc- 
casionally, you  will  find  the  same  thing  to-day.  I  have 
met  manufacturers  who  openly  avowed  that  they  put 
into  their  buildings  the  smallest  amount  of  money  they 
possibly  could. 

THE   PROBLEM   OF   HOUSING. 

Our  first  new  work  was  the  building  of  houses  which 
were  to  become  the  homes  of  the  people  we  expected  to 
settle  with  us.  We  decided,  as  far  as  possible,  to  build 
single  cottages,  and  to  make  them  such  as  we  should 
be  willing  to  occupy  ourselves.  Some  were  built  to  plans 
of  outside  architects,  and  some  to  our  own  plans,  but 
neither  proved  wholly  satisfactory. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  63 

It  seemed  best  to  find  out  just  what  sort  of  homes  the 
people  wanted,  and  we  resolved  to  make  the  attempt. 
So  we  would  go  to  the  wife  of  some  worker  who  lived  in 
a  little  cottage,  and  we  would  say,  "  What  sort  of  a  house 
would  you  like?  And  if  you  could  build  one  yourself, 
how  would  you  build  it  ?  "  She  would  explain  that  she 
wanted  her  children  around  her  where  she  could  reach 
them  quickly  without  making  too  many  steps;  then  she 
had  to  cook,  to  wash,  to  iron,  etc.,  and  it  would  be  a  great 
advantage  to  her  if  while  she  was  doing  these  things  she 
could  keep  as  near  as  possible  to  the  stairs,  so  that  if 
the  baby  cried  it  was  not  too  many  steps  to  the  cradle. 
She  would  tell  of  the  difficulties  with  the  stove,  and  how 
far  it  was  downstairs  to  the  cellar  where  supplies  were 
kept ;  and  so,  keeping  all  these  things  in  view,  fresh  plans 
were  made,  and  then  we  found  we  had  got  a  cottage 
that  no  one  very  much  wanted  to  live  in.  Indeed,  it  be- 
came increasingly  clear,  and  it  is  true  of  most  of  us, 
whether  we  work  in  a  mill  and  live  in  a  cottage  or  do 
something  different  and  live  another  way,  we  are  not  at 
all  sure  what  we  want  until  we  have  got  it,  and  then  we 
can  usually  show  why  we  don't  want  it,  and  this  is  just 
about  what  happened  in  regard  to  our  first  new  cottages. 

So  we  tried  a  different  plan.  We  imagined  ourselves 
in  the  position  of  the  mill  worker's  wife,  and  tried  to 
think  out  the  sort  of  surrounding  that  would  best  suit 
us  if  we  had  to  wash  and  iron  and  cook  and  bake  and 
care  for  the  children  and^  receive  the  wives  of  all  the 
neighbors  with  the  least  possible  inconvenience.  We 
knew  already  quite  well  that  human  nature  is  much  the 
same  in  every  walk  of  life,  and  that  those  who  work  in 
mills  have  just  the  same  sentiments  as  the  rest  of  us 


No.  Description. 

41 — Houses  rented  to  employees  by  the  company. 

42 — Property  outside  the  company's  control. 


64 


's:rs(ty 

OF 

>.'FORN\A. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  65 

have.  When  they  received  their  guests  they  did  not  want 
to  take  them  through  the  kitchen  to  reach  the  parlor; 
they  preferred  a  front  room  or  reception-room  accessible 
from  the  front  door,  just  as  you  and  I  do.    Why  not? 

We  had  to  consider  all  these  sentiments  and  provide 
all  these  things,  and  we  began  to  plan  houses  on  these 
lines.  Then  we  had  to  remember  that  if  we  worked  in 
the  mill  we  should  have  to  do  all  the  things  we  spoke  of, 
to  keep  house  and  bring  up  a  family,  and  keep  the  house 
warm,  and  all  that  on  a  very  small  sum,  say  two  or  three 
dollars  a  day,  or  in  many  cases  less  than  that.  If  you 
put  yourselves  in  that  position  and  imagine  how  it  could 
be  done,  you  will  have  an  interesting  problem  to  keep 
you  occupied  for  quite  a  few  hours. 

I  am  glad  to  say  that  we  finally  succeeded  in  planning 
'cottages  that  proved  very  satisfactory,  and  make  very 
attractive  homes  for  those  who  occupy  them. 

In  regard  to  the  very  interesting  account  of  my  friend 
from  Wilmerding,  may  I  say  just  a  word  about  the  rents 
for  our  cottages?  These  have  been  gradually  improved 
in  the  way  I  have  indicated,  and  that  without  adding 
much  to  the  rent — a  thing  that  we  felt  was  not  to  be 
thought  of.  Our  favorite  cottage  has  six  rooms;  three 
rooms  downstairs,  with  a  large  pantry  and  shed  adjoin- 
ing, in  which  can  be  kept  bicycles,  the  perambulator, 
wash  tubs,  or  other  essentials  of  family  life,  without 
burdening  the  kitchen  and  without  carrying  them  up  and 
downstairs.  There  is  a  reception-room  opening  from  the 
front  hall  and  a  dining-room  next.  It  is  gratifying  to 
see  how  attractive  these  little  homes  can  be  made.  Up- 
stairs there  are  three  bedrooms,  also  a  bathroom,  which 
is  the  same  as  you  have  heard  described  by  others  here 


66  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

to-day,  with  open  plumbing,  and  just  as  good  as  any  I 
know  of,  with  every  sanitary  essential,  but,  of  course, 
with  an  utter  absence  of  anything  palatial  or  ornamental. 
Everything  is  quite  plain.  Our  rent  for  such  a  cottage 
is  $7.50  per  month,  the  water,  which  is  a  city  service, 
being  extra. 

We  own  in  our  town  something  more  than  a  thousand 
acres  of  land,  and  we  own  also  nearly  all  the  buildings 
and  even  the  church,  but  with  all  this  room  a  little 
economy  in  space  is  sometimes  necessary.  Accordingly, 
on  the  leading  street  in  our  village,  which  is  usually  more 
popular  than  the  rest,  because  it  is  the  leading  street 
(for  in  these  matters  factory  people  are  just  like  all 
other  people,  and  have  the  same  sentiments  as  you  and  I 
have),  we  knew  that  the  main  avenue  of  the  town  would 
be  the  most  attractive  to  live  on ;  so  we  thought  we  must 
use  space  there  more  closely  than  in  the  somewhat  ex- 
travagant manner  of  having  large  lots  with  small  cot- 
tages. We  decided,  therefore,  to  build  some  modern 
blocks,  containing  small  apartments — such  as  are  found 
in  the  best  avenues  of  all  cities,  except  that,  of  course, 
ours  would  be  more  modest  and  simple  in  every  way. 
Strange  to  say,  this  venture  has  not  been  successful  at 
all  so  far,  since  no  one  apparently  wants  to  live  in  a 
block,  no  matter  how  modem  or  well  contrived.  Cot- 
tages have  had  their  educational  value,  and  all  prefer 
to  live  in  separate  houses ;  indeed,  many  express  them- 
selves as  unwilling  to  live  in  any  other  way.  Yet  they 
would  occasionally  leave  us  and  pass  on  to  villages  near 
by  in  which  there  were  nothing  but  tenements  of  a  more 
or  less  sorry  order,  and  they  would  live  in  those  tene- 
ments without  complaint;  but  they  were  not  willing  to 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  67 

live  with  us  unless  they  could  live  in  a  separate  cottage 
home.  You  see  they  had  in  a  way  established  a  senti- 
ment about  what  constitutes  a  desirable  home,  and  there 
is  a  vast  deal  of  sentiment  in  the  lives  of  all  people  which 
we  do  not  always  discover  until  we  get  into  their  way 
of  thinking,  that  is,  until  we  put  ourselves  in  their  places, 
and  it  is  only  by  doing  this  that  we  can  learn  how  to 
deal  equitably  and  successfully  with  other  people. 

THE    LIBRARY. 

We  have  in  our  village  for  the  use  of  our  people  a 
most  attractive  library  building  (presented  to  the  town 
by  the  family  of  our  late  Treasurer)  equipped  with  a 
library  of  about  5,000  modern  books,  and  having  a  most 
comfortable  reading-room  well  supplied  with  the  popular 
literature  of  the  day.  But  this  library  and  reading-room, 
we  are  free  to  confess,  have  not  met  with  such  general 
and  widespread  patronage  from  our  people  as  we  hoped 
would  be  the  case.  Some  of  our  philanthropists  seem  to 
think  that  the  whole  race  is  going  to  be  saved  and  re- 
generated by  books,  but  it  would  be  easy  to  prove  by  the 
mouths  of  as  many  thousands  of  factory  workers  as  you 
choose,  and  other  people,  too,  that  they  don't  want  to  be 
regenerated  that  way,  and  that  whatever  they  want  they 
don't  want  books,  or  if  they  do,  they  will  gladly  provide 
their  own.  They  all  know  quite  well  that  in  these  days 
books  are  cheaper  than  anything  else  on  earth,  except 
advice,  and  that  they  can  give  quite  as  well  as  take. 
While,  therefore,  our  library  is  excellent  in  every  way, 
the  number  of  people  who  make  use  of  it  is  the  one  dis- 
appointing feature.    The  reading-room,  as  I  have  stated. 


No.  Description. 

39 — A  tenement  house  outside  the  company's  control. 

40 — A  tenement  house  owned  by  the  company.     Apart- 
ments are  rented  to  employees. 


68 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  69 

is  comfortable  and  attractive,  the  tables  well  supplied 
with  modern  journals  and  magazines,  yet  out  of  some 
2,000  workers,  which  means,  perhaps,  some  5,000  resi- 
dents, it.  is  a  rare  thing  to  find  more  than  twenty  or 
twenty-five  people  in  the  reading-room.  The  only  reason 
seems  to  be  that  reading  is  not  the  thing  they  most  want, 
and  books  have  not  in  their  eyes  that  attractiveness 
which  makes  them  want  them  much  of  the  time.  The 
reasons  for  all  this  I  have  not  discovered,  but  I  hope 
before  I  leave  this  room  to-day  some  of  you  will  tell 
me  how  the  love  of  books  is  to  be  inspired. 

I  realize  that  good  books  will  help  every  one,  but  it 
remains  true  that  the  popular  taste  seems  to  be  more 
in  the  line  of  cheap  newspapers  than  good  books.  Of 
these  cheap  newspapers  we  get  an  ample  supply  every 
day  from  New  York.  They  tell  us  daily,  in  glaring 
print,  of  many  wonderful  things,  most  of  which  appa- 
rently never  happen.  It  is  true,  a  good  many  people 
use  our  library.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  see  them  there,  yet 
it  is  true  they  were  not  the  people  whom  we  thought 
of  when  the  library  was  built.  It  is  just  the  same  right 
here  in  New  York  City.  There  is  the  Mills  Hotel,  a 
most  excellent  hotel.  It  was  built  for  the  indigent  and 
impoverished,  who  needed  just  such  accommodation,  but 
it  was  almost  immediately  taken  possession  of  by  people 
who  had  been  paying  three  and  four  times  the  prices 
charged  there.  It  has  been  used  little  or  not  at  all  by 
the  impecunious  of  the  community  for  whom  it  was 
originally  built.  That  is  a  common  experience  in  most 
of  the  things  that  are  done  with  the  view  of  meeting  the 
needs  of  other  people.  I  rarely  take  a  good  book  out  of  our 
library  the  leaves  of  which  are  cut,  even  though  it  may 


70  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

have  been  there  six  or  seven  years.  We  take  news- 
papers in  the  different  languages,  but  apparently  no  one 
reads  them.  The  papers  in  the  Polish  language  I  cer- 
tainly don't  read,  and  I  know  the  Polish  people  do  not, 
because  they  do  not  come  there.  We  would  not  dispense 
with  the  library  for  anything;  undoubtedly  it  has  done 
great  good.  But  we  feel  it  ought  to  have  done  and  would 
do  much  more  if  those  who  would  be  most  helped  by  it 
could  be  interested. 


EFFORTS  FOR  RECREATION. 

Of  the  things  we  have  undertaken,  that  which  has 
succeeded  best  is  the  men's  gymnasium.  This  is  entirely 
self-supporting.  We  started  this  men's  club  in  a  small 
way,  simply  furnishing  the  room,  the  light,  and  the  heat. 
We  got  the  men  to  manage  it  themselves  from  the  start. 
They  established  their  own  working  committees,  and 
have  managed  their  own  affairs  ever  since.  It  has  been 
a  success  financially  also,  and  beyond  what  I  have  stated, 
we  have  not  been  called  on  to  contribute  anything  for 
several  years.  Of  course,  certain  members  get  dissatis- 
fied with  certain  things  part  of  the  time ;  they  elect  their 
own  committees,  and  occasionally  will  complain  of  what 
their  committees  do.  Sometimes  this  arises  from  the 
fact  that  as  there  is  administrative  work  to  do,  and 
everybody  can't  do  it,  it  ends  in  their  electing  committees 
having  executive  positions  in  the  mill.  This  leads  some 
of  the  men  to  think  it  is  too  much  like  "  more  mill." 
Once,  when  this  dissatisfaction  came  to  our  knowledge, 
we  offered  to  make  the  rule  that  no  one  holding  an  ex- 
ecutive position  in  the  mill  should  be  permitted  to  work 


CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK.  71. 

on  any  of  the  men's  club  committees.  But  that  was  not 
wanted,  because  it  was  felt  that  it  would  hurt,  and  not 
help,  the  club  to  rule  out  the  men  who  had  the  best  ability 
for  managing  it.  But  these  little  matters  are  gradually 
righting  themselves,  and  I  think  the  club  was  never  more 
successful  than  it  is  to-day. 

AN    ATHLETIC    FIELD. 

The  company  has  quite  recently  laid  out  a  large 
athletic  field.  This  contains  a  quarter-mile  running  track 
and  ample  room  for  football,  baseball,  cricket,  and  all 
other  outdoor  sports.  The  grounds  are  fenced  in,  so 
that  an  admission  fee  can  be  charged  when  games  are 
played.  We  used  these  grounds  for  the  first  time  last 
fall.  They' have  been  put  under  the  management  of  the 
men's  athletic  committee,  and  I  think  these  grounds  are 
going  to  be  very  greatly  appreciated,  and  will  do  very 
much  to  help  us  to  establish  manly  athletic  sports  with 
all  the  vulgar  features  ruled  out. 

THE  RESTAURANT. 

Last  year  we  opened  a  restaurant,  and  I  imagine  it 
is  much  like  the  one  Mr.  Nazro  described.  It  is  fitted 
in  a  simple  but  thoroughly  comfortable  manner,  and  to 
insure  satisfactory  cooking  a  good  chef  and  a  profes- 
sional baker  were  engaged.  We  knew  the  prices  had  to 
be  exceedingly  low,  and  we  started  with  the  idea  of  run- 
ning without  waiters,  and  requiring  every  one  to  go  to 
the  counter  for  what  they  might  wish  to  eat,  just  as  is 
done  in  the  popular  cheap  lunch  rooms  in  all  cities. 
Strange  to  say,  this  did  not  seem  to  work.    I  don't  quite 


72  CONFERENCE  ON  WELFARE   WORK. 

understand  why.  Perhaps  Mr.  Nazro  can  tell  us.  A 
couple  of  years  ago  I  visited  one  of  the  immense  work- 
ing people's  homes  in  the  East  End  of  London,  and  the 
restaurant  was  run,  and  successfully,  on  those  lines,  but 
it  failed  to  work  well  with  us.  So  we  secured  girls  to 
wait  on  table,  and  have  kept  this  up  ever  since.  .A  sub- 
stantial but  plain  dinner  is  prepared  ever>^  day,  consist- 
ing of  soups,  roasts,  side  dishes,  ample  supplj^  of  v^e- 
tables,  with  pie  or  pudding,  and  tea,  coflFee,  or  milk,  the 
whole  dinner  for  fifteen  cents.  This  seemed  reasonable 
enoogfa,  and  I  think  every  one  is  ready  to  admit  that  it 
is  reasonable.  Nevertheless  we  can  hardly  feel  it  is  a  suc- 
cess, because  the  great  masses  of  the  people  for  whom 
we  intended  it  have  never  come  there.  We  don't  exactly 
know  why,  but  probably  we  shall  some  day.  One  day  a 
man  came  to  me  and  asked  to  have  a  house  in  the  village 
(he  was  living  a  mile  or  two  away).  He  said  it  was  too 
far  to  go  home  to  dinner,  and  he  was  tired  of  eating 
cold  lunches.  I  asked  him,  just  out  of  curiosity,  "  Why 
don't  you  go  to  the  restaurant  and  get  a  hot  dinner  for 
fifteen  cents  ?  "  He  said  it  was  too  much,  as  he  had  to 
look  at  every  cent.  I  doubt  if  he  had  really  figured  out 
the  gain  or  loss.  Still,  it  certainly  remains  true  that 
most  of  our  men  who  live  at  a  distance  will  rather  stay 
in  the  mill  and  eat  a  cold  lunch  than  go  to  the  restaurant 
for  a  hot  dinner. 

Conference  Adjourned  to  2.30  P.  M. 

AFTERNOON    SESSION. 

Mr.  Ste\-ens:  I  was  speaking  of  the  restaurant  and 
those  things  which  have  been  failures  concerning  it.  To 
prevent  misapprehension,  I  ought  to  add  that  in  addition 


CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK.  73 

to  a  fixed  dinner  at  a  regular  price,  all  sorts  of  other 
things  are  served  at  all  hours  at  equally  low  prices.  Any 
one  who  does  not  desire  to  spend  fifteen  cents  for  a  full 
dinner,  may  spend  five  or  six  cents  or  more,  just  as  the 
case  may  be.  All  the  prices  are  reasonable,  and  it  does 
not  seem  possible  that  the  lack  of  success  can  be  because 
of  the  cost. 

Another  thing  that  has  been  only  partially  successful  in 
connection  with  the  restaurant  has  been  the  selling  of 
bread,  cakes,  and  cooked  food  to  the  people.  All  these 
are  sold  at  very  low  rates,  but  the  amount  of  patronage 
has  been  small,  and  there  again  the  patronage  has  not 
come  from  those  whom  we  most  wanted  to  reach.  Many 
people  find  it  is  more  economical  to  come  there  and  get 
things  than  to  cook  them  in  their  own  homes,  but  they, 
of  course,  are  amply  able  to  take  care  of  themselves. 
It  is  often  a  great  conveninece  to  the  ladies  of  the  vil- 
lage to  get  things  at  the  restaurant  rather  than  bother 
with  them  at  their  own  homes.  In  my  ,own  home,  for 
instance,  we  have  almost  ceased  to  bake  bread,  because 
the  restaurant  bread  is  better  than  we  can  bake,  and 
we  save  all  the  trouble.  But  the  ones  whom  it  was  de- 
signed to  reach,  the  masses  of  the  working  people,  many 
of  whom  do  not  know  what  good,  wholesome  food  is — 
these  people  we  do  not  seem  to  reach,  and  I  don't  quite 
know  why.  I  fancy,  however,  that  one  of  the  reasons 
is  that  at  the  restaurant  no  credit  is  given,  the  reason 
being  that  we  want  to  emphasize  the  advantage  of  get- 
ting things  good  at  low  cost,  provided  they  are  bought 
for  cash.  But  here  we  can  hardly  feel  that  we  have  suc- 
ceeded. The  people  will  still  buy  inferior  bread  and 
cakes  and  things  of  that  character  at  higher  prices  where 


74  CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

they  can  be  credited,  and  everything  put  down  in  a  book, 
instead  of  paying  at  the  time  purchases  are  made. 

CREDIT    SYSTEM    A    CURSE. 

We  should  emphatically  say,  from  all  our  experience 
with  factory  life,  that  one  of  the  greatest  curses  to  the 
working  people  is  the  continually  extended  system  of 
credits,  which  now  go  in  certain  stores  and  with  certain 
dealers,  with  almost  everything.  In  addition  to  the 
restaurant,  we  established  a  store,  supplying  furniture, 
stoves,  and  such  things  at  exceedingly  low  prices,  and 
also  for  cash,  except  to  new  comers  without  much  money. 
These  we  wanted  to  help  establish  their  homes  econom- 
ically, without  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  greedy  in- 
stalment houses.  We  have  met  just  the  same  difficulty 
as  in  the  restaurant.  Nearly  every  one  w^ants  to  buy  on 
credit.  Even  some  who  have  been  with  us  many  years 
and  earn  good  wages  can  not  be  led  to  see  the  advan- 
tage of  low  prices  and  cash  payments.  They  want  the 
low  prices  provided  they  can  have  the  credit  too,  but  a 
combination  of  low  prices  and  cash  payments  does  not 
commend  itself.  Of  course,  there  "are  some  very  pleas- 
ing exceptions  to  this  statement,  and  as  time  goes  on 
the  lesson  we  want  to  teach  may  be  ultimately  learned. 
If  any  one  has  succeeded  on  these  lines,  that  is,  the  break- 
ing up  of  credit  systems  and  establishing  cash  payments, 
we  would  like  to  know  how  to  do  it. 

SPECIAL    INSTRUCTION    FOR    GIRLS. 

Just  a  word  about  the  girls'  institute.  This  was  started 
two  years  ago.  We  fitted  a  complete  building,  which 
had  been  our  old  office,  for  the  use  of  the  girls ;  furnished 


CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK.  75 

it  comfortably  and  attractively,  engaged  a  secretary  and 
invited  the  girls  to  come  in.  We  have  had  successful 
classes  in  cooking,  sewing,  and  dressmaking;  but  much 
more  successful  than  these  have  been  the  classes  in 
physical  culture,  leading  to  athletic  sports  for  girls,  such 
as  basket  ball,  etc.  In  this  they  have  taken  great  in- 
terest, and  it  is  wonderful  how  proficient  they  have  be- 
come. The  institute  now  numbers  about  seventy  mem- 
bers. They  elect  their  own  officers  and  manage  their 
own  affairs  on  much  the  same  pattern  as  the  men's  club, 
only,  being  much  more  recent,  it  is  not  just  as  firmly 
established;  still  we  believe  it  is  doing  much  good,  and 
we  hope  will  do  a  great  deal  more. 

In  conclusion,  I  want  to  refer  to  one  other  subject,  and 
ask  for  information.  My  friend,  Mr.  Herr,  spoke  of  it, 
that  is,  he  spoke  of  the  work  done  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and  then  I  under- 
stood him  to  say  that  they  had  changed  that.  We  all 
recognize  that  in  this  welfare  work  we  want  managers 
or  secretaries.  In  our  case  we  need  two,  one  for  the  men 
and  one  for  the  women.  Now,  has  any  one  found  it  to 
be  the  most  successful  way  of  attaining  success  to  turn 
the  work  over  to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
and  hire  their  trained  secretaries  to  do  the  work,  having 
the  whole  work  carried  on  under  the  system  which 
they  have  adopted?  If  that  method  has  proved  a  general 
success,  I  should  like  exceedingly  to  hear  it. 

The  Chairman  :  We  would  be  glad  to  hear  from  Mr. 
C.  C.  Michener,  Secretary  of  the  Industrial  Department 
of  the  International  Committee  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  New  York  City,  on  that  subject. 


No.  Description. 

64 — Men's  library. 
65 — Men's  pool  room. 


76 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  77 

Mr.  Michener:  It  is  impossible  to  make  any  state- 
ment about  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  that 
has  been  working  with  workingmen  for  fifty  years  and 
do  it  in  five  minutes.  This  movement  is  well  adapted 
to  the  various  classes  of  men  throughout  the  country, 
whether  it  be  among  men  of  commercial  pursuits,  col- 
lege students,  the  army  and  navy,  or  of  the  railroad 
centers.  It  has  adapted  itself  to  all  the  various 
classes  of  men.  It  is  not  what  I  may  say  about  it  that 
will  decide  here  whether  it  is  worthy,  but  its  history  is 
open  for  the  investigation  and  study  of  those  who  care 
to  look  into  it.  It  is  the  results  which  will  decide  any 
kind  of  welfare  work.  It  is  facts  and  successes,  not 
theories,  that  we  are  looking  for. 

The  statements  made  this  morning  about  a  variety  of 
experiences  are  very  familiar  to  those  of  us  in  Asso- 
ciation work.  Take  the  work  of  the  railroad  depart- 
ment: The  railroad  companies  attempted  all  kinds  of 
clubs  and  all  sorts  of  organizations.  They  have  prac- 
tically stopped  this  now,  and  these  clubs  have  gone  out 
of  existence.  In  the  same  buildings  where  this  work 
was  attempted  by  the  railroad  companies  it  has  been 
taken  up  by  the  Associations.  The  railroad  companies 
have  spent  over  five  millions  in  the  past  few  years  on 
this  work.  It  is  not  confined  now  to  railroad  men,  but  is 
being  extended  and  carried  on  in  manufacturing  establish- 
ments. 

Reference  was  made  to  the  Westinghouse  Air  Brake 
Company  this  morning.  I  wish  Mr.  Herr  were  here,  as  I 
would  like  to  have  him  verify  what  I  will  say.  He  has  told 
me  in  his  own  office  that  he  was  surprised  that  so  much 
work  could  be  done,  because  this  work  in  Wilmerding 


78      CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

is  carried  on  in  the  office  building  constructed  for  the 
company's  use.  The  building  was  erected  for  offices  and 
not  for  association  work.  The  work  has  grown  so  that 
to  its  quarters  in  the  office  building  there  have  been 
added  four  rooms  in  the  High  School  building  near  by. 
This  Association  started  a  woman's  club,  which  has  de- 
veloped into  a  Young  Women's  Christian  Association. 
Our  method  of  work  is  to  start  with  the  man.  It  is  often 
said,  start  with  the  homes.  That  sounds  well ;  you  get 
the  women  and  children.  If  you  start  with  the  man,  you 
get  the  home,  and  you  get  the  women  and -children  also. 
The  first  method  leaves  the  man  out  almost  entirely,  and 
does  not  touch  the  man  in  the  factory.  The  situation  at 
Wilmerding,  I  think,  is  worth  a  comparison  with  the 
Carnegie  Club  at  Braddock,  five  miles  away.  The  West- 
inghouse  Association  has  no  building  adapted  to  the 
work.  The  company  employs  three  thousand  men,  half 
of  whom  are  non-residents.  The  annual  expenses  of  the 
Westinghouse  Association  are  $5,000.  The  Carnegie 
Club,  five  miles  away,  in  a  community  of  11,000  men,  with 
a  building  that  cost  $350,000,  equipped  for  the  special 
work  undertaken,  has  a  maintenance  fund  of  $6oo,ooo,- 
bringing  in  an  annual  income,  together  with  other  re- 
sources, of  $30,000  with  which  to  pay  the  expenses.  There 
has  been  only  one  feature  in  which  the  work  is  larger 
than  that  of  the  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company,  and 
that  is  the  number  of  books  drawn  from  the  librar}-.  The 
Association  has  almost  twice  as  many  in  educational 
classes.  Every  feature  is  larger  on  a  $5,000  expenditure. 
I  know  some  of  you  will  differ  with  me  in  the  state- 
ment I  am  now  going  to  make.  The  secret  of  success 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  its  religious 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  79 

work.  Most  people  in  their  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  work- 
ingman  take  it  for  granted  that  the  religious  work  is  to 
be  left  out.  I  am  unable  to  understand  why  a  man  who 
works  with  his  hands  is  any  less  religious  than  a  man 
who  works  with  his  head.  We  find  the  religious  side  of 
our  work  appeals  to  all  denominations.  We  have  been 
trying  to  develop  shop  Bible  classes,  and  on  November 
I  last  we  had  175  manufacturing  establishments  in  115 
cities  in  North  America,  with  an  average  weekly  attend- 
ance of  25,000  workingmen  at  the  noon  and  midnight 
shop  Bible  classes.  The  easiest  thing  we  are  doing  is  to 
get  workingmen  to  respond  to  the  religious  appeal. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  Is  it  so  much  the  religion,  or  is  it 
not  the  way  you  take  the  problem  up  with  the  men,  and 
that  you  do  not  have  the  company  do  these  things  for 
them?    Does  the  initiative  come  from  the  men? 

Mr.  Michener:  The  initiative  of  this  work  comes 
from  the  men.  What  the  company  does  is  merely  to 
assist  the  men  in  carrying  on  certain  work  among  them- 
selves. But  we  have  had  a  number  of  places  where  they 
have  had  all  that  without  the  religious  side. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  Doesn't  the  initiative  in  that  case 
come  from  the  employer's  side? 

Mr.  Michener  :  No ;  from  the  men.  In  other  words, 
the  merely  attempting  to  do  a  few  specific  things  for 
the  workingman  does  not  give  him  a  higher  motive. 
That  is  not  enough  to  keep  a  man  continuously  a  mem- 
ber of  any  such  organization.  He  must  have  a  motive 
that  will  help  him  to  help  some  other  man ;  and  on  the 
basis  of  self-sacrifice  and  of  doing  something  for  the 
other  fellow,  which  is  the  center  of  the  religious  motive, 
it  makes  the  work  succeed.    I  don't  believe  it  is  possible. 


8o  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

regardless  of  plan,  to  succeed,  and  continue  in  that  suc- 
cess— I  am  speaking  about  workingmen  only — without 
having  an  unselfish  ideal  back  of  what  is  done. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  To  what  extent  in  your  work  does 
the  religious  feature  go? 

Mr.  Michener:  All  these  questions  I  will  refer  to 
Mr.  Warburton,  Secretary  New  York  Central  Depart- 
ment, and  Mr.  Dudley,  Secretary  of  the  Brooklyn  Rapid 
Transit  Department.  They  can  answer  that  question  in 
a  word. 

Upon  request  from  them,  Mr.  Charles  R.  Towson,  Gen- 
eral Secretary  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Branch, 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
replied  to  Mr.  Patterson's  question. 

Mr.  Towson:  We  recognize  that  there  is  no  objective 
higher  than  the  whole  man.  Our  Association  work  in 
all  of  its  departments  has  regard  to  the  fact  that  a  man 
is  a  living  soul — for  this  life  and  the  life  to  come.  We 
do  not  project  our  religious  methods  into  our  work  in 
such  a  way  as  to  repel  any  man.  In  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  which  I  represent  we  have  hun- 
dreds of  Roman  Catholics.  The  chairman  of  one  of  our 
committees  is  a  Roman  Catholic.  Last  month  we  had 
5, OCX)  railroad  men  and  their  families  in  attendance  upon 
our  religious  work,  including  the  meetings  of  our  Bible 
classes,  there  being  between  700  and  1,000  in  attendance 
at  the  Bible  classes.  That  is  only  part  of  the  work,  and 
hundreds  of  the  men  never  go  near  the  religious  meet- 
ings. The  point  we  recognize  is  that  the  force  that 
makes  our  Association  work  continuous  and  successful 
is  this  underlying  religious  motive. 

Q.     What  proportion  of  the  employees  do  you  reach? 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  8i 

Mr.  Towson  :  We  are  in  Philadelphia — I  can't  say 
definitely.  I  don't  know  how  many  employees  are  in 
our  immediate  vicinity,  but  in  the  entire  city  we  esti- 
mate there  are  ten  thousand  employees.  We  have  2,500 
on  our  membership  rolls.  There  are  seventeen  Associa- 
tions on  the  Pennsylvania  lines  east  of  Pittsburg. 

Q.  How  do  you  reach  the  Poles  and  other  people  of 
that  class? 

Mr.  Towson  :  **  We  count  not  ourselves  to  have  ap- 
prehended," but  we  have  felt  seriously  our  responsibility 
for  the  Italians  (of  whom  we  have  many  on  the  road 
who  do  not  speak  a  word  of  the  English  language),  and 
we  have  now  in  our  religious  work  department  a  com- 
mittee whose  business  is  to  investigate  and  find  out  just 
how  we  can  get  at  the  needs  of  these  Italians  and  help 
them. 

Mr.  Michener:  Senator  Proctor,  of  Proctor,  Ver- 
mont, has  a  large  number  of  foreigners  working  in  his 
marble  quarries,  and  one  of  the  features  introduced  is 
to  provide  these  non-English  speaking  people  with  an 
opportunity  to  study  the  English  language,  as  soon  as 
they  can  read,  to  get  them  to  study  the  rudiments  of 
American  freedom  and  civil  government,  and  thus  at- 
tempt to  get  these  men  to  become  intelligent  American 
citizens,  instead  of  having  nothing  done  for  them. 

Mr.  Krumbhaar:  This  meeting  was  called  to  discuss 
the  question  of  the  betterment  of  men  in  the  factory,  and 
the  improvement  of  the  conditions  surrounding,  in  the 
factory  itself  and  in  their  homes.  Some  little  time  ago 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  made  to  the 
Solvay  Process  Company  the  proposition  that  they  (the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association)    should  take  over 


82  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

all  our  welfare  work.  But  we  decided  that  this  would 
not  be  a  good  thing  to  do,  mainly  because  it  would  re- 
lieve us  of  the  entire  responsibility  of  our  workmen. 
Would  the  ordinary  manufacturer,  if  he  handed  over  all 
the  welfare  work  to  some  one  else,  be  inclined  to  follow 
that  other  man's  suggestions,  and  run  his  factory  upon 
the  lines  dictated  by  some  outsider,  rather  than  do  it 
himself,  and  would  the  result  justify  his  relieving  him- 
self of  all  responsibility?  I  do  not  wish  to  find  fault 
with  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and  I  wish 
to  testify  here  to  the  value  of  their  work.  It  is  a  great 
work,  and  they  have  accomplished  a  vast  amount  of  good. 
Their  plan  may  be  very  successful  with  a  great  railroad, 
but  in  a  compact  plant  like  ours,  for  instance,  I,  for  one, 
do  not  think  it  would  work  well. 

Mr.  Michexer  :  I  think  the  experience  of  the  Proctor 
Marble  Company,  the  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Com- 
pany, the  Lorain  Steel  Company,  the  Pearl  River  Lum- 
ber Company,  and  several  equally  important  establish- 
ments is  evidence  that  it  does  not  decrease  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  employer,  but  rather  increases  it.  It  does 
not  take  from  him  the  interest  which  he  has  in  his  men, 
but  rather  increases  it,  because  of  the  more  intelligent 
development  of  things  from  the  standpoint  of  a  trained 
secretary  who  knows  his  business.  If  you  noticed  Mr. 
Herr  this  morning,  you  will  remember  that  he  said  their 
first  secretary  was  a  man  from  a  social  settlement  who  did 
not  understand  the  problem.  He  was  not  trained  in  As- 
sociation work.  That  is  the  point  of  it — that  he  was  not 
trained.  We  have  two  training  schools  in  which  we  have 
from  100  to  200  men,  many  of  them  working  men,  who 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  ^^ 

are  studying  the  work  for  the  purpose  of  taking  up  the 
secretaryships  in  these  factories. 

I  saw  a  place  the  other  day  where  they  were  serving 
coffee  for  nothing,  and  I  found  a  man  who  Was  not  drink- 
ing the  coffee, and  I  said :  "Why  don't  you  drink  it?  Don't 
you  Hke  it  ?  "  He  answered :  "  Of  course  I  do."  I  said : 
"  Well,  why  don't  you  drink  it  ?  "  Said  the  man :  "  No ; 
if  I  drink  a  cup  or  two  of  coffee  my  employer  thinks  I 
will  do  seventeen  cents'  worth  of  work  more  than  if  I 
didn't  drink  it,  and  the  company  gets  the  benefit,  and  I 
don't  propose  that  they  will  get  ahead  of  me  that  way." 

Q.  How  would  you  bring  about  a  better  understanding 
by  your  methods,  between  employee  and  employer  ? 

Mr.  Michener:  By  getting  the  men  to  want  certain 
things,  and  getting  the  employer  to  respond  to  the  men's 
appeal,  and  in  helping  them  to  provide  the  things  they 
want. 

Q.  It  would  be  through  the  medium  of  a  third  party, 
but  it  would  not  bring  them  closer  together. 

Mr.  Michener:  The  secretary  may  be  a  third  party 
in  starting  the  work,  but  the  Association  is  composed  of 
the  people  of  the  community,  both  employer  and  em- 
ployee. It  is  self-governing,  and  is  entirely  within  the 
plant,  and  not  something  outside. 

Miss  Beeks  :  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  is  to  pro- 
cure the  right  persons  to  promote  welfare  work  in  the  fac- 
tories. Are  the  students  in  your  training  schools  receiv- 
ing any  special  training  other  than  that  required  for  your 
regular  Association  secretaryships? 

Mr.  Michener  :  We  are  now  planning  a  special  course 
where  men  are  going  to  be  trained  in  this  particular  work. 


84  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

Miss  Beeks  :  Who  are  the  instructors  ?  What  training 
and  experience  have  they  had? 

Mr.  Michener  :  We  get  the  railroad  secretaries  to  go 
there;  we  get  factory  men  themselves;  employers;  we 
have  to  get  secretaries  who  have  had  industrial  problems, 
who  have  had  experience,  in  addition  to  other  men  who 
have  had  a  general  experience. 

Mr.  Easley:  And  you  know  of  no  company  that  is 
doing  this  work  with  other  than  Y.  M.  C.  A.  methods 
which  has  been  successful?  Do  you  mean  to  imply  that 
welfare  work  can  not  be  successfully  promoted  in  any 
other  way?  I  infer  this  from  what  you  said  with  refer- 
ence to  its  being  the  religious  motive  which  makes  the 
work  succeed. 

Mr.  Michener:  I  think  pretty  generally  that  is  true. 
T  have  been  studying  this  problem  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  in  places  where  this  work  has  been  done  by  the  com- 
pany I  have  yet  to  find  one  instance  where  the  men  them- 
selves are  satisfied  with  what  the  company  is  doing,  and 
in  most  of  the  places,  in  confidence,  the  management  have 
told  me,  in  their  private  offices,  that  it  was  not  working 
the  way  they  had  hoped.  I  have  been  to  some  of  the  fac- 
tories represented  here  this  afternoon,  and  have  talked 
with  the  workingmen  themselves,  and  know  how  they 
feel.  I  would  not  be  bigoted  enough,  I  hope,  to  say  that 
the  only  method  of  doing  this  work  is  that  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  nor  so  one-sided  as  to  say 
that  we  are  saying  the  final  word  on  this  industrial  work, 
nor  to  say  that  the  Association  can  do  all  of  it.  There  is 
a  great  deal  of  betterment  work  the  Association  can  never 
take  hold  of. 

Mrs.  Wheeler  :  Do  vou  think  with  the  methods  which 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  85 

social  secretaries  employ  that  they  can  not  do  this  work 
just  as  well  as  it  can  be  done  through  the  medium  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association? 

Mr.  Michener:  I  can  only  answer  that  from  my  ex- 
perience, and  that  is  that  the  secretary  that  represents  the 
company  as  an  employee  of  the  company  is  put  on  a 
wrong  basis  with  the  majority  of  the  employees.  They 
look  upon  that  secretary  as  an  employee  of  the  company, 
rather  than  their  own  employee.  Now,  I  know  I  am 
saying  some  things  which  you,  probably,  do  not  agree 
with,  but  I  am  speaking  entirely  from  the  standpoint  of 
our  knowledge  of  the  statements  of  individuals,  individual 
working  people,  as  to  what  they  think  about  this  kind  of 
thing. 

Miss  Hirschler  :  Aren't  all  these  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secre- 
taries paid  by  the  employers  ?  Are  they  not  paid  officials, 
and  do  not  the  railways  provide  the  rooms  and  the  build- 
ings? 

Mr.  Michener:  I  suppose  if  you  take  it  from  a  tech- 
nical standpoint,  in  some  cases  that  is  ,true,  but  what- 
ever the  railroad  company  does,  is  done  as  a  contribution 
to  the  Association,  the  association  of  employees,  and 
they  spend  it.  Their  board  of  directors  distribute  it  for 
the  different  expenses,  and  they  decide  what  salary  the 
secretary  shall  receive,  and  secure  him.  The  board  of 
directors  of  the  Association  controls  that  and  not  the 
company.  Whatever  the  company  gives  is  simply  a  sub- 
scription to  the  work  which  the  men  carry  on  and  man- 
age. 

Q.  Take  the  case  of  a  small  village,  where  there  are 
different  denominations,  don't  you  think  the  religious  in- 
struction you  claim  to  give  them  would  be  given  equally 


86  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

well  by  the  Social  Secretary  of  the  corporation  working 
in  harmony  with  the  priests  of  the  different  sects,  each 
helping  its  own  people? 

Mr.  Michener:  Experience  answers  that.  We  have 
found  that  it  assists  materially  the  priests  and  pastors  in 
this  kind  of  work,  because  of  what  the  Association  secre- 
tary does.  Whether  or  not  we  might  do  certain  things 
I  do  not  know.    I  only  know  what  has  been  done. 

Miss  Beeks  :  Are  there  any  manufacturing  establish- 
ments outside  of  the  Westinghouse  Company  where  you 
have  taken  up  the  work? 

Mr.  Michener  :  Yes ;  the  Vermont  Marble  Company. 

Miss  Beeks:  You  have  entire  charge  of  the  work  for 
the  company? 

Mr.  Michener  :  At  Proctor,  Vt.,  yes ;  the  whole  thing 
except  the  hospital. 

Miss  Beeks:  Not  the  entire  work  of  the  company — 
just  the  outside  club  work? 

Mr.  Michener  :  We  have  the  whole  work  for  the  men 
in  that  establishment.  There  is  also  a  library  and  a 
hospital  in  the  community.  I  don't  know  of  any  other 
work. 

Miss  Beeks:  I  am  only  getting  at  the  question  which 
Mr.  Stevens  asked  some  time  ago.  Is  it  better  for  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  to  take  entire  charge 
of  the  work  or  not  ?  and,  as  I  understand  it,  you  have  not 
quite  developed  that  point. 

Mr.  Michener:  If  it  comes  to  the  matter  of  factory 
construction,  I  am  not  sure  that  the  Association  wants  to, 
or  ought  to,  go  into  it. 

.  Miss  Beeks:  It  is,  then,  a  question  of  what  welfare 
work  is — what  is  involved  in  welfare  work? 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  87 

Mr.  Michener  :  Yes ;  I  think  so. 

Mr.  Warburton:  Will  you  let  me  suggest  from  ex- 
perience how  the  thing  works?  At  the  railroad  branch, 
where  Mr.  Vanderbilt  was  very  much  interested,  the 
officials  and  the  men  meet  constantly  in  committee  and  at 
social  meetings,  etc.  The  Association  is  made  up  of  em- 
ployees of  the  company  from  the  president  down,  each 
man  paying  his  dues,  so  that  Mr.  Depew  is  treated  just 
like  the  brakeman  who  works  under  him  in  our  organiza- 
tion. I  should  be  very  sorry,  and  I  am  sure  Mr.  Michener 
would  be  also,  if  any  one  should  get  the  impression  that 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  imagines  that  it 
has  discovered  the  only  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  We 
think  in  railroad  work  that  we  have  been  as  successful  as 
anybody  else,  perhaps  a  little  more.  That  is  as  far  as  I 
should  like  to  go. 

Q.  I  wanted  to  ask  the  last  speaker  what  proportion  of 
the  total  number  of  employees  they  get  hold  of  ? 

Mr.  Warburton  :  We  have  a  membership  in  New  York 
now,  in  the  railroad  branch,  of  3,000  men.  I  suppose 
there  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  8,000  men  working  for 
the  companies  that  are  affiliated  with  us.  We  do  not 
admit  employees  who  are  not  connected  with  companies 
that  do  not  contribute  toward  our  maintenance. 

Mr.  Michener  :  At  Proctor  they  have  about  900  men 
employed,  and  about  600  are  members  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
That  covers  men  of  fifteen  denominations  and  nineteen 
nationalities ;  the  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company, 
Lorain  Steel  Company,  now  National  Tube  Works  (where 
they  have  a  $40,000  building  and  are  planning  for  a  much 
larger  one),  the  Pearl  River  Lumber  Company,  and 
several  others,  where  there  are  associations.     These  are 


88  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

all  doing  work  satisfactory  to  the  employers  and  em- 
ployees. 

Another  statement  I  would  like  to  make  is  this :  That 
we  have  no  bone  to  pick  with  any  one.  I  think  there  is 
danger  of  the  two  movements  represented  here  crossing 
tracks,  and  of  saying  things  about  each  other  which  we  do 
not  need  to  say.  I  think,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge  by 
the  statements  made  here  this  morning,  that  most  of  the 
things  that  were  talked  about  were  not  the  things  which 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has  been  attempt- 
ing to  do.  You  have,  according  to  the  statements  made, 
been  dealing  largely  with  factory  construction,  and  sanita- 
tion, and  other  things  of  that  character,  which  take  in  the 
whole  community.  Our  work  is  directly  for  the  man  and 
his  needs,  and  the  building  up  of  the  work  for  the  man 
himself,  the  working  man  as  an  individual,  without  at- 
tempting to  go  into  a  lot  of  other  things  which  belong  to 
the  policy  of  the  company  itself  in  the  way  of  construc- 
tion, sanitation,  arbitration,  and  other  things. 

Mr.  W.  a.  Ryan  (Head  of  the  Welfare  Department 
of  the  National  Cash  Register  Company)  :  You  say  your 
work  is  different,  but,  nevertheless,  you  take  jurisdiction 
of  libraries,  dining-rooms,  recreative  clubs,  and  indus- 
trial classes.  Do  you  not  ?  Do  you  inaugurate  and  main- 
tain those  under  your  secretaries? 

Mr.  Michener  :  The  Association  takes  the  whole  man — 
the  educational  features,  which  include  practical  talks, 
libraries,  reading-rooms,  night  classes,  etc.  There  is  the 
social  side,  which  takes  charge  of  social  entertainments 
and  certain  amusements — billiards,  etc.  There  is  another 
side  which  takes  the  gymnasium,  with  the  bowling  alleys 
and  the  baseball  teams,  and  the  one  which  takes  the  re- 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  89 

ligious  work,  the  Bible  classes  and  men's  meetings,  and 
other  things  in  that  line. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  Does  it  take  into  consideration  the  inaugu- 
ration or  institution  of  lunch  systems  ? 

Mr.  Michenee?:  Sometimes  it  does,  when  the  men  de- 
sire it. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  This  contribution  that  these  firms  make  to 
this  employees'  Association  (Y.  M.  C.  A.),  there  is  no 
secrecy  about  that  ?  Every  employee  knows  that  the  firm 
he  is  working  for,  which  firm  has  a  representative  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  doing  the  work,  makes  this  contribution? 

Mr.  Michener  :  Yes. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  How,  then,  do  you  explain  the  non-antag- 
onism which  the  employee  has  to  the  firm  which  con- 
tributes to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  as  compared  with  the  antag- 
onism with  which  he  seems  to  be  inspired  when  the  com- 
pany does  it  itself? 

Mr.  Michener  :  As  a  rule  the  employer  concludes  some 
day  to  build  something,  such  as  a  gymnasium  or  library, 
which  he  thinks  will  meet  the  needs  of  the  community. 
That  building  is  built,  and  thrown  open  to  the  employees, 
usually  without  cost.  As  the  scheme  of  the  company,  it 
comes  from  the  company^s  offices,  they  build  the  build- 
ing, they  plan  the  work,  they  manage  it  and  pay  the  bills. 
That  is  one  way.  The  other  way  the  employees  originate 
it.  They  meet  together  and  conclude  that  they  would 
like  to  have  some  of  the  same  things,  perhaps,  that  would 
be  in  this  building  which  the  company  would  provide  for 
the  employees;  but  in  this  case  the  employees  ask  the 
company  to  help  them  build  a  place  for  their  work,  which 
the  company  gives  outright  to  this  employees'  organiza- 
tion.   In  the  first  place,  the  title  is  held  by  the  company ; 


9©  CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

in  the  second  place  it  is  held  entirely  by  the  organization, 
or  is  leased  to  them  for  a  long  term  of  years. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  These  people  make  these  requests  at  the 
instigatiqn  of  the  secretary  ? 

Mr.  Michener:  Sometimes  they  do;  sometimes  they 
do  not. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  In  the  majority  of  cases  they  do? 

Mr.  Michener:  Yes. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  The  secretary  forms  the  association  or  club 
in  the  first  place,  or  is  instrumental  in  it? 

Mr.  Michener  :  Yes ;  certainly. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  He  is  instrumental,  and  it  is  through  his 
suggestion  or  his  outlining  the  need  of  these  things  that 
this  organization  comes  to  the  employer  and  asks  for 
them? 

Mr.  Michener:  It  comes  from  the  men  to  the  em- 
ployer. 

Mr.  Ryan-  :  From  the  organization  formed  by  the  men  ? 

Mr.  Warburton  :  I  think  it  would  be  fairer  to  say 
that  both  are  interested.  Sometimes  the  men  who  want  to 
do  this  thing  are  talked  with.  I  think  Mr.  Michener 
would  not  say  that  any  particular  method  was  always  fol- 
lowed, but  that  by  talking  with  representatives  of  one  side 
and  then  with  representatives  of  the  other,  some  ideas  can 
be  collected. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  But,  are  the  ideas  principally  given  by 
this  third  party?    That  is  the  question. 

Mr.  Warburton  :  I  am  not  answering  Mr.  Michener's 
question.  That  is  the  way  we  explain  the  doing  away  of 
this  antagonism. 

Mr.  Michener  :  All  I  can  say  is  that  it  does  it. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  Does  it  always  do  it  ? 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  91 

Mr.  Michener  :  I  don't  know  of  any  case  where  it  has 
not. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  I  do  not  criticize  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tion  Association  because  I  represent  a  firm  which  does  not 
employ  that  method,  but  I  want  to  get  at  its  method.  If 
the  Association  can  get  rid  of  this  antagonism  entirely,  it 
has  the  best  method. 

Mr.  Michener  :  I  do  not  think  we  can  make  any  such 
claim.  It  would  be  folly  for  us  to  take  any  such  position, 
regardless  of  the  method.  Our  method,  I  think,  as  it  has 
worked,  has  had  less  difficulty  in  dealing  with  the  problem, 
that  is  all. 

Mr.  Easley:  Mr.  Chairman,  there  is  danger  of  this 
discussion  becoming  acrimonious  and  resolving  itself  into 
a  controversy  over  the  work  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Mr. 
Michener  should  not  be  forced  to  defend  that  Association 
against  adverse  criticism,  and  I  would  suggest  that  we 
confine  ourselves  to  subjects  strictly  germane  to  the  pur- 
pose for  which  we  came  together. 

Mr.  Warburton  :  I  think  the  Association  would  merely 
say  this:  It  is  a  principle  in  such  work  that  cooperation 
should  be  employed,  and  the  more  general  that  cooperation 
can  be,  the  better  the  results  will  be.  I  think  almost  all 
of  us  will  agree  to  that. , 

Mr.  Michener:  I  was  in  a  community  the  other  day 
where  the  company  had  just  completed  a  beautiful  $40,000 
memorial  library  building,  with  a  fine  equipment,  for  the 
use  of  the  men.  I  was  invited  by  the  management  of  that 
company  to  look  into  the  situation  that  existed  there.  I 
found  a  movement  on  foot  among  the  employees  for  the 
erection  of  an  $8,000  building  which  would  give  these 
same  benefits  and  which  they  could  run  themselves. 


92  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  We  have  had  failures  in  this  kind  of 
work,  and  among  them  we  considered  that  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  was  one  of  the  worst; 
and  we  decided  not  to  have  any  rehgious  element  enter 
into  our  welfare  work.  From  a  conversation  with  Mr. 
Michener  some  time  ago,  I  learned  a  great  deal  that  was 
very  valuable,  indeed.  The  idea  of  the  Y^  M.  C.  A.  is 
this :  To  put  a  man  at  the  head  who  is  well  trained  in  that 
kind  of  work  and  knows  what  to  do  and  what  not  to  do, 
and  who  does  not  endeavor  to  force  the  men  to  do  cer- 
tain things,  but  to  stimulate  the  desire  for  them  and  have 
the  men  make  the  suggestion  and  do  it  from  their  own 
standpoint.  Instead  of  having  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary, 
we  have  a  man  who  came  to  us  from  Marshall  Field's,  in 
Chicago,  who  is  an  employee  and  goes  among  the  em- 
ployees a  great  deal.  We  are  here  to  find  out  what  modi- 
fications of  our  general  plan  we  can  find.  But  I  doubt 
very  much  whether  it  is  the  religious  element  that  pro- 
duces the  effect.  I  think  it  is  the  organization  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  good  men  and  the  practical  men  at  the 
head  of  it. 

Mr.  Dudley  :  I  want  to  say  one  word  in  regard  to  the 
religious  part  of  our  work.  There  seems  to  be  in  some 
minds  the  thought  that  it  is  detrimental,  and  is  antag- 
onized sometimes  on  the  part  of  the  men  themselves.  We 
organized  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  a  few 
months  ago  among  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  Railroad 
men.  We  have  had  a  number  of  entertainments  there, 
and  the  members  were  out  in  large  numbers.  It  was  with 
a  great  deal  of  fear  that  we  undertook  religious  work. 
One  of  the  largest  audiences  of  railroad  people  that  we 
have  had  in  our  new  building  was  at  a  religious  meeting 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  93 

on  a  Sunday  afternoon,  and  I  don't  believe  there  was 
heartier  or  more  enthusiastic  singing  in  any  church  in  the 
city  of  Brooklyn  than  came  from  those  railroad  men  at 
their  first  religious  meeting ;  and  they  have  requested  that 
we  repeat  them.  The  demand  is  in  the  hearts  and  minds 
of  the  working  people  to-day  as  much  as  it  is  in  the  hearts 
and  minds  of  those  who  are  better  ofif  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  I  admire  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  All  welfare 
work  is  religion.  We  had  a  woman  in  charge  of  our  wel- 
fare work  who  started  with  a  Sunday  school  of  sixty  and 
reached  six  hundred,  and  ran  it  until  the  strike  occurred. 
But,  whether  you  have  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  man  or  have  a 
Methodist  or  some  one  else  in  charge  of  the  work,  I  think 
it  all  depends  on  the  practical  business  management  of  the 
person  in  charge,  and  his  ability  to  get  the  men  to  do 
things  that  are  apparently  initiated  among  the  men  them- 
selves. 

Mr.  Krumbhaar  :  I  think  we  are  getting  into  too  much 
of  a  discussion  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  I  think  we  ought  to  go 
back  to  the  subject  with  which  we  started.  During  the 
luncheon  hour  some  of  us  had  a  little  talk,  and  we  have 
questions  to  ask  each  other  with  reference  to  welfare  work. 
I  think  it  would  be  better  to  drop  this  discussion  that  we 
have  gotten  into,  and  go  back  to  our  original  purpose  of 
trying  to  find  out  the  best  thing  to  do  and  how  to  do  it. 

Mr.  Humphreys  :  I  will  suggest  that  further  discussion 
be  on  the  basis  of  something  to  be  agreed  upon,  not  nec- 
essarily what  I  suggest  here,  but  something  like  it;  so 
that  each  member  shall  be  called  upon  to  oflfer  his  ideas 
about  diflferent  topics  of  welfare  work,  such  as,  for  in- 
stance, the  following:  Factory  construction,  sanitation, 
consultation  between  employer  and  employee,  methods  of 


94     CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

arbitration,  initiative  of  all  work,  whether  the  initiative 
comes  through  the  employer  or  employe,  and  the  matter 
of  recreation  and  other  social  interests.  I  would  like  to 
limit  our  discussion  to  something  that  is  tangible  and  in 
which  the  employer  is  interested  as  well  as  the  factory 
operative. 

(Mr.  Vreeland  takes  the  chair.) 

Mr.  \^reeland:  Unfortunately,  my  absence  for  a  few- 
hours  has  placed  me  at  a  disadvantage.  In  fact,  I  am  as 
completely  at  sea  as  the  gentlemen  who  have  been  speak- 
ing. We  do  not  seem  to  be  talking  about  the  objects  for 
which  this  meeting  was  called,  and  I  think  the  sugges- 
tion of  Mr.  Humphreys  a  very  good  one  at  this  time.  I 
will  ask  Mr.  John  F.  P.  Lawton,  of  the  Gorham  Manufac- 
turing Company,  to  speak  along  that  line. 

Mr.  Lawton  :  The  Gorham  Manufacturing  Company 
is  a  comparatively  old  corporation,  having  been  estab- 
lished in  1 83 1.  Until  1891  we  were  located  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  city  and  had  grown  to  occupy  an  entire  block. 
The  location  admitted  of  no  further  extension,  and — for- 
tunately, I  may  say — we  were  forced  to  choose  a  new  site, 
which  afforded  the  space  for  our  casino,  which  I  shall 
describe  in  the  course  of  my  remarks. 

WHY  THE  CASINO  WAS  ERECTED. 

The  initiative  for  what  you  appropriately  term  "  wel- 
fare work  "  came  from  the  president  of  our  company,  not 
from  the  employees.  Our  employees  are  an  exceptionally 
high  class  of  men  and  their  wages  run  from  $3  a  week 
for  boys  to  $100  or  more  a  week  for  the  higher  grades  oi 


CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK,  95 

skilled  labor.  They  are  an  intelligent  class  of  men,  are 
well  to  do,  and  many  of  them  own  homesteads.  While  a 
large  portion  of  them  have  time  to  go  to  their  homes  at 
noon,  there  are  many  who  can  not  do  so,  and  have  been 
accustomed  to  either  bring  their  lunches,  or  buy  indigest- 
ible food  from  lunch  carts,  which  found  it  profitable  to 
come  regularly  to  the  works.  These  lunches  the  men 
would  eat  in  the  workrooms.  We  insisted  that  mainly  for 
their  own  good  they  should  get  a  change  of  air  at  noon. 
This  was  the  incentive  for  erecting  a  new  building.  Our 
president  offered  to  give  the  building  if  the  company 
would  equip  it.  This  was  done  at  an  expenditure  of  up- 
ward of  $20,000 — about  equally  divided  between  costs  of 
building  and  equipment.* 

HOW  SUSPICION  WAS  ALLAYED. 

When  we  got  pretty  well  along  with  the  building,  I 
noticed  that  the  men  took  very  little  interest  in  it.  I  asked 
a  number  of  them  about  it,  and  found  they  were  a  little 
suspicious.  We  couldn't  seem  to  convince  them  that  the 
company  did  not  have  some  ulterior  motive.  We  waited 
until  the  structure  was  completed,  then  we  appointed  a 
committee,  part  of  it  from  the  office,  but  the  larger  portion 
from  the  employees,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  con- 
ferences to  determine  how  this  work  was  to  be  carried 
on  and  to  bring  out  suggestions,  etc. 

*  The  casino,  as  we  call  it  (for  want  of  a  more  appropriate 
name),  has  a  frontage  of  78  feet  and  a  depth  of  35  feet,  while  the 
rear  extension  has  a  length  of  43  feet  and  a  width  of  35  feet.  At 
the  front  of  the  building  is  a  broad  veranda  which  ex;tends  the 
entire  length.  At  the  rear  of  the  building  there  are.  two  verandas. 
The  main  entrance  is  at  the  front  and  leads  direct  into  the  main 
dining-room.  There  is  also  an  entrance  on  the  side  facing  the 
works,  as  well  as  entrances  leading  from  the  several  verandas. 


96  CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

AN   OPENING   ENTERTAINMENT. 

That  smoothed  the  way  a  great  deal,  and  when  the  time 
came  to  have  a  formal  opening — May  i,  1899 — the  build- 
ing, brilliantly  lighted,  was  thrown  open  and  the  work- 
men, who  had  been  invited  to  bring  their  families,  re- 
sponded enthusiastically ;  if  they  hadn't  gone  in  one  door 
and  come  out  the  other,  they  couldn't  all  have  gotten  in, 
the  attendance  was  so  large.  I  watched  them  intent!}- 
and  saw  that  good  feeling  was  growing,  and  I  said  to  one 
or  two :  "  We  will  have  a  dance,  if  you  care  to."  They 
said :  "  You  don't  allow  dancing,  do  you  ?  "  They  were 
well  pleased  with  the  idea,  but  one  didn't  want  to  start 
unless  another  would.  However,  after  a  little  while,  as 
we  had  an  orchestra  there,  they  did  begin,  and  they  had 
quite  a  pleasant  entertainment  that  lasted  pretty  well  into 
the  evening. 

SUCCESS   OF  THE  LUNCHEON    ROOM. 

At  first  many  of  the  employees  brought  their  lunches, 
but  few,  if  any,  do  so  now.  While  it  was  our  original 
intention  to  supplement  these  lunches  by  furnishing 
coffee,  milk,  ot  tea  at  the  small  charge  of  three  cents,  we 
soon  responded  to  the  call  for  a  variety  of  foods  well 
cooked,  for  such  a  reasonable  charge  as  made  the  bring- 
ing of  lunches  unnecessary. 

I  would  like  to  speak  of  our  plan  of  serving  lunches. 
One  of  the  speakers  said  he  couldn't  get  them  to  go  to 
the  counter- for  the  lunch  and  take  it  to  the  tables.  We 
have  no  difficulty  with  that.  The  men  are  out  of  the 
works  before  the  bell  finishes  striking,  and  it  is  almost  a 


CONFERENCE   ON    WELFARE    WORK.  97 

pell-mell  rush  to  that  counter  and  until  they  get  to  their 
tables ;  then  they  finish  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  smoke 
and  chat. 

At  first  it  was  our  idea  to  have  two  kinds  of  tickets, 
one  at  three  cents  and  one  at  five  cents,  but  we  finally  con- 
cluded to  adopt  only  the  three  cent  ticket ;  and  every  article 
served  was  either  three  cents  or  some  multiple  of  three. 
It  often  worked  favorably  for  an  employee  in  this  way; 
he  couldn^t  buy  twenty-five  cents'  worth,  but  what  he 
could  do  was  in  reality  to  get  twenty-five  cents'  worth  for 
twenty-four.  This  plan  has  thus  far  worked  admirably. 
The  number  of  tickets  sold  last  year  was  200,941,  and 
6,010  additional  were  used  by  clerks.  On  the  basis  of 
that  record  each  three  cent  ticket  sold  actually  cost  the 
company  four  cents.  During  the  busy  fall  season,  when 
clerks  work  overtime,  they  do  not  use  tickets,  but  a  good 
table  d'hote  meal  is  given  them  at  an  expense  to  the  com- 
pany of  forty-five  or  fifty  cents  each. 

The  main  dining  (or  lunch)  room  measures  59  feet  by 
32  feet,  and  is  well  lighted.  A  striking  feature  of  the 
room  is  its  ample  height,  extending  as  it  does  to  the  ex- 
treme height  of  the  building.  It  is  equipped  with  thirty  - 
five  round  tables  seating  six  or  seven  persons  at  each. 

Another  dining-room  opens  out  of  the  main  room,  and 
this  is  for  the  use  of  the  officers.  Another  use  for  it  is 
when  the  traveling  salesmen  are  at  the  works  for  several 
consecutive  days.  Table  d'hote  meals  are  served  to  them, 
for  which  the  company  allows  the  casino  account  seventy- 
five  cents  each.  At  such  times  they  occupy  the  lodging 
rooms  at  night,  for  which  the  company  allows  the  casino 
one  dollar  each  per  night.    In  addition  to  the  large  dining- 


98  CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

hall  and  the  officers'  room,  there  is  a  dining-room  for  the 
exclusive  use  of  the  women  employees. 

The  company  employs  a  caterer  and  his  wife,  not  simply 
to  be  there  during  certain  hours  of  the  day,  but  who  live 
there,  and  have  their  rent  and  food  and  heat  and  lighting 
at  the  company's  expense.  In  addition  to  these  are  four 
assistants  during  the  day ;  and  such  other  help  as  may  be 
needed  is  supplied  from  the  works.  The  question  is  some- 
times asked,  Does  it  pay  expenses  ?  We  say,  No,  and  we 
don't  expect  it  to;  otherwise  we  should  be  contributing 
nothing. 

LODGING   ROOMS. 

The  construction  of  the  building  is  such  that  an  interior 
balcony  extends  across  the  front  and  along  either  side. 
Leading  from  this  balcony  are  four  pleasant  and  well 
equipped  lodging  rooms  and  two  bathrooms  with  the  most 
approved  open  plumbing. 

BICYCLE  ROOMS. 

The  basement  rooms  are  arranged  for  bicycles,  of  which 
there  are  about  four  hundred.  Each  one  has  its  specific 
rack  and  is  given  a  number,  and  a  proper  record  of  them 
is  kept. 

LIBRARY. 

On  the  same  floor  as  the  dining-room,  leading  off  to  the 
right,  is  the  library  and  reading-room,  which  is  about  32 
feet  by  15  feet.  The  library  at  present  comprises  840 
volumes.  A  fair  estimate  of  books  taken  out  is  ninety-five 
per  cent,  fiction  and  five  per  cent,  of  history,  biography. 


CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK.  99 

poetry,  and  the  drama.  A  charge  of  two  cents  is  made  on 
each  book  loaned.  A  catalogue  of  the  library  has  been 
printed,  with  additions  as  made  from  time  to  time,  ^nd 
enough  printed  to  furnish  a  copy  to  each  and  every  em- 
ployee. 

BENEFIT  ASSOCIATIONS. 

There  are  two  beneficial  associations  organized  and 
conducted  exclusively  by  the  employees.  Their  committee 
meetings  are  held  in  the  library,  and  their  annual  meeting 
is  held  in  the  main  hall  or  dining-room,  for  which  occa- 
sion the  room  is  cleared  of  the  tables.  Each  of  these 
associations  employs  a  physician — who  is  also  a  surgeon 
— and  these  physicians  make  daily  visits  to  the  works. 

The  employees  are  also  given  the  free  use  of  the  casino, 
lighted  and  heated,  for  evening  entertainments  as  they 
may  desire. 

AN   ANNUAL   DINNER. 

Once  a  year  we  have  a  function,  when  the  services  of 
an  efficient  caterer  are  enlisted.  All  the  foremen  are  in- 
vited, and  there  is  a  dinner,  a  conference,  and  an  enter- 
tainment that  brings  the  managers  and  the  foremen  to- 
gether ;  and  the  result  of  that  is  very  good.  Then  there  is 
a  periodical  gathering  of  the  travelers  from  all  the  cities, 
which  is  beneficial  and  interesting. 

THE  ORCHESTRA. 

An  excellent  orchestra  has  been  organized  among  the 

employees  since  the  casino  was  built,  and  they  have  the 

free  use  of  the  library  room  one  evening  a  week  for 
practice. 


No.  Description. 

52 — Recreation  room  for  women  employees  in  a  factory. 
Used  at  noon  and  when  the  piece  workers  have  to 
wait  for  material. 

53 — Men's  lunch  room  in  a  manufacturing  plant,  pre- 
pared for  the  periodical  dinner  of  the  foremen. 


1 00 


OF  THE 

.VERSITY 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  loi 

MERIT  AND  THRIFT  ENCOURAGED. 

We  have  also  adopted  a  plan  of  additional  compensa- 
tion to  apprentices.  Every  month  their  work  is  inspected 
by  superintendent  and  foremen,  and  according  to  merit 
a  fair  sum  is  set  aside  by  the  company  and  placed  on 
deposit  in  the  Gorham  Savings  Bank  at  four  per  cent., 
principal  and  interest  payable  at  the  expiration  of  their 
term  of  apprenticeship.  Thirty-six  apprentices  have  thus 
far  become  depositors  and  have  now  $1,178.00  to  their 
credit  for  such  additional  compensation. 

A  SAVINGS  BANK. 

The  Gorham  Savings  Bank  was  incorporated  in  1900, 
and  is  for  the  benefit  of  the  employees  ;  no  part  of  the  de- 
posits is  ever  used  by  the  company.  It  is  a  convenience 
to  the  men,  who  would  lose  valuable  time  if  they  were 
obliged  to  go  to  the  center  of  the  city  to  make  deposits. 

LOANS  ON    MORTGAGE. 

To  encourage  the  men  to  build  homes  for  themselves, 
the  bank  loans  to  them,  to  a  prudent  extent,  on  mortgage. 
We  have  at  the  present  time  about  $40,000  loaned  to  them 
on  mortgage. 

A  PENSION  SYSTEM. 

One  other  point  I  will  mention  in  closing  is  our  plan  of 
pensions  adopted  May  i,  1903.  Employees  whose  records 
are  satisfactory  to  the  company  will,  if  disqualified  for 
work  on  account  of  age  or  permanent  ill  health,  be  eligible 


I02  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

to  pensions  under  the  following  age  limits  and  terms  of 
service : 

70  years  of  age,  25  years'  continuous  service 

65  years  of  age,  35  years'  continuous  service 

60  years  of  age,  40  years'  continuous  service 

When  the  company  shall  have  been  satisfied  that  an 

employee  is  entitled  to  a  pension,  they  will  cause  the  name 

of  such  employee  to  be  placed  upon  the  pension  roll,  and 

he  will  be  paid  monthly  a  sum  equal  to  one  per  cent,  for 

each  year's  active  service,  computed  at  the  wage  paid  at 

the  time  of  enrolment,   provided  that  no  pension  shall 

exceed  one  thousand  dollars  yearly. 

The  'Chairman  :  We  are  fortunate  in  having  with  us 
to-day  Mr.  Louis  Krumbhaar,  from  the  Solvay  Process 
Company,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and  I  will  now  call  upon 
him. 

Mr.  Krumbhaar:  I  do  not  want  to  take  up  very  much 
of  your  time.  I  am  not  going  to  tell  you  about  our  restau- 
rant or  dining-room,  our  lunch  roorh,  our  sanitary  ar- 
rangements, etc.  For  I  will  leave  with  the  secretary  an 
account  of  our  work,  which  is  a  compilation  of  extracts 
from  the  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor,  with 
changes  to  bring  it  up  to  date,  and  this  may  be  incor- 
porated in  the  report  of  the  meeting,  if  it  should  be  deemed 
desirable.  But  there  are  one  or  two  things  I  would  like 
to  say  in  connection  with  this  work. 

BEGIN  WELFARE  WORK  WITH  CHILDREN  OF  EMPLOYEES. 

We  have  found  it  has  been  very  difficult  to  get  at  the 
workmen.  Our.  welfare  work  started  almost  with  our 
business,  and  w^e  have  tried  many  different  schemes,  and 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  103 

have  found  the  most  satisfactory  one  of  all  to  be  that  of 
taking  the  children  of  our  working-men  and  training 
them;  and  we  have  almost  abandoned  trying  to  draw  in 
the  men  themselves.  Our  experience  has  been  that  the 
boys  of  our  workmen  grow  up  and  take  positions  of 
various  kinds  in  our  works,  and  the  girls  grow  up,  and 
marry,  and  become  the  wives,  in  many  cases,  of  these  boys. 
We,  therefore,  think  that  if  we  can  train  the  children  in 
the  way  that  they  should  go,  we  will  improve  our  work- 
men. Of  course,  in  many  cases,  the  boys  have  better  posi- 
tions than  their  fathers  had  before  them,  and  I  have  in 
mind  now  one  young  man  who  holds  a  confidential  posi- 
tion in  our  office,  whose  father  started  as  a  laborer  and  is 
now  a  foreman. 

We  have  a  system  of  classes  that  begin  at  3.30  in  the 
afternoon  and  extend  into  the  evening.  We  have  cooking 
classes,  a  dancing  class,  and  gymnasium  classes;  and  we 
have  just  completed  a  new  gymnasium,  which  we  feel 
sure  will  be  of  great  benefit  to  both  the  boys  and  the  girls. 

The  greatest  difficulty  that  I  have  encountered  in  trying 
to  get  at  the  men  is  the  beneficial  lodge,  to  which  so  many 
of  them  belong.  I  have  tried  to  get  men  together  in  the 
evening,  but  one  would  say,  "  I  can't  go  on  Monday  night, 
for  I  have  to  go  to  the  Foresters  " ;  another  would  say, 
"  The  Maccabees  meet  on  Tuesday,  and  I  can't  come  " ; 
another  man  would  say  that  he  had  to  go  to  the  "  Odd 
Fellows,"  and  so  on.  These  societies  take  the  men's  time, 
and  I  believe  it  is  better  to  let  the  men  go  to  these  lodges ; 
but  we  must  take  their  children  and  train  them.  As  these 
children  grow  up,  I  think  they  are  benefited  by  our  work, 
and  are  much  better  men  and  women  for  the  training  they 
get ;  and  some  of  them,  in  turn,  have  become  interested 


I04  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

in  the  welfare  work  among  their  fellow  workmen,  and 
are  better  citizens;  and  others  take  up  their  work  in  the 
lodges  and  make  those  lodges  better  perhaps  than  they 
have  been  in  the  past. 

I  have  a  suggestion  to  make  to  this  meeting.  I  think  it 
would  be  a  good  plan  to  formulate  the  questions  we  would 
like  to  ask  each  other  as  to  the  best  methods  to  adopt  in 
carrying  on  our  work,  and  send  those  questions  in  to  our 
secretary  to  be  put  in  form,  sent  around  to  those  best 
fitted  to  answer  them ;  or  else  presented  at  some  future 
meeting  similar  to  this  one.  I  think  that  would  be  a  bene- 
fit to  all  of  us.  We  have  had  a  number  of  most  interest- 
ing and  valuable  descriptive  talks,  but  I  think  it  would  re- 
sult in  greater  progress  if  we  would  formulate  a  set  of 
questions,  to  be  answered  and  distributed  among  the  dif- 
ferent concerns  that  we  represent. 

The  Secretary  :  In  addition  to  Mr.  Krumbhaar^s  sug- 
gestion, that  we  may  get  the  full  benefit  of  this  meeting, 
which  was  intended  to  be  an  exchange  of  experience,  it 
seems  to  me  that  it  would  be  desirable  for  Mr.  Stevens,  for 
instance,  and  others  who  have  problems  to  be  solved,  to 
question  the  speakers,  now  and  then,  as  to  specific  suc- 
cesses and  failures,  and  their  causes.  Of  course,  we  all 
recognize  that  conditions  diflFer,  and  that  no  set  rules  can 
be  laid  down  for  the  work  in  any  individual  establishment, 
as  each  is  a  special  study;  but  human  nature  is  pretty 
much  the  same  everywhere,  and  the  experience  of  one  in 
a  particular  eflFort  is  bound  to  furnish  helpful  suggestions 
to  another  working  along  the  same  line. 

The  Chairman  :  The  audience  will,  I  am  sure,  ap- 
preciate the  opportunity  of  listening  to  Mrs.  Isabelle  F. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  105 

Nye,  from  the  Siegel-Cooper  Company,  of  New  York 
City. 

Mrs.  Nye:  Miss  Hirschler  has  given  the  basis  of  the 
work  of  a  Social  Secretary ;  so  it  is  not  necessary  to  men- 
tion that. 

In  entering  upon  my  duties  as  Social  Secretary  I  was 
entirely  ignorant  of  anything  in  reference  to  business  life. 
So  far  as  my  personal  experience  was  concerned  I  had  had 
a  great  deal  in  philanthropic  work.  At  first  Mr.  Green- 
hut  presented  me  only  to  the  buyers  of  the  different  de- 
partments in  the  store,  of  which  there  are  over  sixty,  in- 
troducing me  as  his  personal  representative.  He  told 
them  my  undertaking  was  to  be  simply  a  trial,  and  that 
I  was  to  prove  whether  it  could  be  made  a  success.  After 
introducing  me  to  the  buyers,  Mr.  Greenhut  said,  "  Now, 
Mrs.  Nye,  go  about  the  store,  anywhere  you  please,  and 
get  acquainted;  the  buyers  will  introduce  you  to  their 
associates.  That  is  all  I  am  going  to  say  to  you.  Use 
your  own  judgment  and  your  own  ideas;  come  to  us  for 
advice  if  you  want  it." 

I  was  very  careful  in  becoming  acquainted  with  the 
people,  with  the  girls  especially.  I  found  that  I  was  re- 
garded with  suspicion  and  doubt  in  the  beginning,  and  I 
had  to  feel  my  way  tactfully.  It  required  a  good  deal  of 
judgment,  tact,  and  patience,  but  I  persevered,  and  finally 
discovered  this  thing :  I  said  to  myself.  What  you  want  to 
establish  in  this  house  is  a  spirit  of  reciprocity.  Of  course, 
that  was  a  big  undertaking,  but  it  was  my  basis  of  action. 
I  took  it  up  and  I  have  kept  it  up.  I  find  that  the  people 
— the  girls  especially — resent  anything  which  savors  in 
the  slightest  degree  of  charity.    Everything  must  be  pre- 


ro6  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

sented  to  them  in  a  light  which  calls  out  their  self-respect 
and  their  perfect  independence. 

A  VACATION   COTTAGE. 

How  well  I  have  succeeded  perhaps  some  one  else 
would  better  say ;  but  I  want  to  give  you  one  illustration 
which  Mr.  Stevens  has  asked  for.  That  is,  he  wanted  to 
know  if  there  were  anything  which  would  show  success 
after  failure.  We  have  at  Long  Branch  a  beautiful  cot- 
tage, with  magnificent  grounds,  furnished  very  hand- 
somely— ^more  handsomely  than  any  hotel  there,  an<l 
every  room  is  perfect  in  every  way.  They  had  that  cot- 
tage for  some  time  previous  to  my  connection  with  the 
firm,  and  the  young  women  had  been  going  there  for  their 
vacations,  but  it  was  with  great  reluctance,  because  they 
had  an  idea  they  were  receiving  charity,  and  that  they 
didn't  want — they  would  rather  do  almost  anything  else, 
even  to  the  extent  of  going  without  a  vacation,  than  pass 
it  there  and  receive  charity.  I  had  to  convince  them  that 
they  were  not  right.  I  went  at  the  problem  in  just  as 
diplomatic  a  manner  as  I  could.  I  revised  the  cards  in- 
forming the  recipients  that  they  were  eligible  for  a  vaca- 
tion at  Long  Branch  after  they  had  been  one  year  in  the 
service  of  the  house,  and  issued  regular  invitations,  stat- 
ing :  "  The,  Siegel-Cooper  Company  requests  the  pleasure 
of  your  company  at  their  cottage  at  Long  Branch  for  the 
week  beginning  (so  and  so  and  ending  so  and  so)  as  their 
guest."  They  were  made  guests  of  the  company.  That 
helped  to  do  away  with  the  failure  caused  by  the  feeling 
that  they  were  being  treated  as  objects  of  charity.  Last 
year  I  had  charge  of  the  cottage  for  the  first  time.     The 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  107 

girls  went  down,  fifty  or  sixty  each  week;  and  it  was  a 
very  great  success.  I  tell  this  as  showing  how  different  it 
is  when  the  girls  go  on  invitation,  and  have  things  con- 
ducted in  a  way  to  indicate  they  were  receiving  nothing 
but  their  dues.  The  spirit  was  very  different.  There  is 
success  born  of  failure. 

At  the  cottage  they  have  all  sorts  of  pleasures — trolley 
rides,  boating  parties,  coaching  parties,  everything  to  help 
make  life  pleasant  and  happy.  At  the  same  time  I  had  a 
little  series  of  object  lessons  for  them.  I  didn't  tell  them 
what  I  was  going  to  do — they  were  simply  unconscious 
object  lessons.  These  lessons  began  by  my  daughter  and 
myself,  and  one  or  two  of  the  young  women  I  could  de- 
pend upon,  sitting  down  to  or  sewing,  or  knitting,  or 
mending,  and  teaching  them  the  womanly  things,  how  to 
take  care  of  things,  how  to  mend,  etc.,  etc.,  and  I  gave 
them  the  object  lesson  of  how  to  keep  the  house,  by  having 
the  cottage  well  ordered  in  every  way.  All  those  things 
left  a  very  great  impression  upon  them  and  helped  them  a 
great  deal. 

THE  BENEFICIAL  FUND. 

At  the  Store  we  have  a  doctor  in  constant  attendance. 
The  doctor  is  paid  from  the  beneficial  fund,  which,  of 
course,  is  accrued  from  the  small  assessments  of  the  em- 
ployees. The  doctor  also  visits  them  at  their  homes  when 
they  are  ill,  if  they  wish  it.  We  have  a  very  large  surplus 
in  the  beneficial  fund  at  the  present  time.  The  monthly 
dues  in  our  Employees'  Benefit  Association  are  from  ten 
to  forty  cents.  In  no  individual  case  does  this  tax  amount 
to  more  than  five  dollars  yearly.    In  case  of  death  $100  is 


No.  Description.  ' 

17 — Vacation  cottage  for  the  employees  of  a  department 
store. 

18 — Some  of  the  employees  at  the  vacation  house. 


108 


OP  THE    "^ 
OF 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  109 

given ;  half  salaries  are  paid  from  this  fund  during  the 
illness ;  and  loans  are  made  from  this  fund  to  help  them 
over  straits  or  difficulties. 

Miss  Hirschler:  In  this  benefit  fund  is  membership 
voluntary  or  compulsory? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  Compulsory. 

Miss  Hirschler  :  Is  it  the  custom  of  your  store,  after 
employees  have  been  there  a  certain  length  of  time,  to 
give  them  a  vacation,  with  pay  ? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  No ;  only  the  cottage  vacation,  with  all  the 
pleasures  and  benefits  during  that  week. 

Mr.  Stevens  :  Does  the  work  of  your  supervision  con- 
tinue beyond  business  hours  ?  Does  it  follow  them  to  their 
homes,  outside  of  the  hours  when  they  are  with  the  firm  ? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  Yes ;  I  visit  their  homes  very  frequently — 
under  all  circumstances  of  illness  or  distress  always,  and 
get  into  their  home  lives.  I  know  the  home  lives  of  a 
great  many  of  them.  I  visit  them  and  help  them,  and  it 
is.  never  mentioned  to  any  one  and  no  one  knows  it  except 
the  person  or  the  family  and  myself.  I  have  at  my  disposal 
a  sum  of  money  placed  in  my  hands  the  first  day  of  each 
month.  That  money  is  used  at  my  own  discretion  for 
the  relief  of  the  people  in  the  store  as  I  think  they  need  it, 
and  no  one  knows  it  except  myself  when  any  of  it  is  used 
for  this  purpose. 

Miss  Hirschler  :  The  people  don't  know  that  it  comes 
from  the  company? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  They  don't  know  anything  about  it,  except 
that  they  are  relieved  and  helped. 

Miss  Hirschler  :  Is  anything  done  for  the  cash  boys  ? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  Not  collectively.  We  have  so  few  of  them 
it  would  be  useless. 


no     CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

There  is  a  men's  club  that  is  called  the  "  Squared 
Circle."  They  say  they  are  all  men  *'  on  the  square,"  and 
they  belong  to  this  circle.  The  club  is  very  prosperous, 
and  they  are  a  very  happy  set  of  men.  They  are  now  fur- 
nishing a  suite  of  rooms. 

Miss  Hirschler:  How  do  all  these  things  react  upon 
the  business  relations  of  the  people  ? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  It  is  told  to  me,  the  buyers  tell  me,  and  the 
heads  of  the  departments  generally,  that  the  tone  of  the 
store  is  so  vastly  improved  that  they  scarcely  recognize  it. 
They  say  the  efficiency  of  the  employees  is  very  greatly 
increased,  because,  in  the  case  of  the  women  and  girls, 
they  have  felt,  many  of  them,  as  they  have  expressed  it  to 
me,  that  there  is  some  one  ''  to  whom  we  can  come  and 
talk,  who  will  encourage,  help,  and  inspire  us."  That  is 
their  spirit;  that  is  the  way  they  speak.  And  the  com- 
pensation in  this  work  to  me  is  that  I  am  a  help  to  these 
people,  that  I  can  encourage,  inspire,  uplift  and  help  them 
over  hard  places,  and  help  them  with  their  work.  The 
result  has  been  in  a  great  many  instances  that  they  have 
kept  on  and  done  better  where  they  would  have  dropped 
out. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  How  many  employees  are  involved  in 
this? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  There  are  between  three  and  four  thousand 
employees  in  the  store. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  And  all  have  the  benefits  ? 

Mrs.  Nye:  Yes;  they  can  come  to  me  with  all  their 
matters — troubles  at  home,  illness,  etc. ;  and  they  do  come. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  Have  you  anything  to  do  with  the  pay- 
roll or  recommendations  with  reference  to  salaries  ? 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  iii 

Mrs.  Nye:  I  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  that, 
and  I  am  glad  to  be  reheved  of  it. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  Has  this  work  made  itself  apparent  in 
the  profit  account  ? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  Very  largely. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  What  is  the  interest  charged  for  the 
loans  from  the  beneficial  fund  ? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  None  whatever. 

In  reference  to  salaries :  In  the  beginning,  when  new 
help  is  engaged,  the  women  and  girls  all  come  to  me ;  they 
are  sent  to  my  office.  I  talk  with  them,  and  the  result  of 
that  is  that  I  find  out  about  their  home  conditions,  how 
they  are  surrounded,  whether  they  are  in  their  own  private 
homes,  with  mothers  or  fathers,  or  if  the  girls  are  in 
boarding  houses.  If  they  wish  it,  I  recommend  houses  to 
them,  but  I  find  out  about  their  home  surroundings  when 
they  first  enter  the  employment  of  the  firm. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  Do  you  ascertain  this  fact  before  or  after 
engagement  ? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  Just  after. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  Does  your  application  blank  call  for  that 
information  ? 

Mrs.  Nye:  Yes. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  Is  the  salary  based  on  the  fact  as  to  whether 
they  are  boarding  or  living  at  home? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  No ;  the  salary  is  based  on  the  qualifications 
of  the  person. 

Mr.  Ryan  :  In  the  case  of  a  girl  who  is  living  at  home 
— her  past  experience  being  equal  to  a  girl  who  is  board- 
ing— would  she  receive  the  same  salary  ? 

Mrs.  Nye  :  Yes. 

Mr.  Humphreys:  I  wanted  to  ask  about  profit  shar- 


112  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

ing ;  and  a  suggestion  has  been  made  about  insurance  for 
employees  as  well.  If  any  of  the  speakers  here  have  any- 
thing to  say  on  these  subjects  I  would  like  to  hear  it. 

Miss  Hirschler:  Our  insurance  fund  is  voluntary. 
The  employees  pay  five  cents  a  week  to  belong ;  the  bene- 
fits are  $5.00  a  week,  and  we  make  up  the  difference  by 
social  parties,  etc.,  conducted  by  our  entertainment  and 
insurance  committees. 

The  Chairman  :  I  hope  that  Mrs.  Elizabeth  C. 
Wheeler,  from  the  Shepard  Company,  of  Providence, 
R.  L,  will  now  permit  us  to  hear  from  her. 

Mrs.  Wheeler:  I  didn't  expect  to  say  anything.  My 
work  is  practically  identical  with  that  which  has  just  been 
described,  and  I  think  there  is  nothing  left  for  me  to  say. 
It  is  almost  the  same  as  Mrs.  Nye  has  just  told  us  about. 

vacations. 

Instead  of  having  a  summer  cottage,  we  recommend 
certain  places  in  the  country  to  our  employees.  Living, 
as  they  do,  directly  on  the  coast,  we  feel  it  is  much  better 
to  get  the  girls  into  the  mountains.  We  give  the  girls 
two  weeks'  vacation  and  full  pay  when  they  have  been 
with  us  a  year,  and  we  recommend  these  boarding  places, 
helping  them  if  necessary.  I  personally  know  their  situa- 
tion at  home,  and  if  I  think  it  is  necessary  to  help  them 
pay  their  expenses  in  the  country,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
their  salary  must  go  into  the  family  while  they  are  away, 
we  do  that ;  but  in  most  cases  they  can  pay  it  themselves. 
We  have  found  this  effort  very  beneficial  indeed.  With  my 
four  years'  experience,  it  seems  to  me  that  in  all  this  work 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  113 

the  individual,  personal  touch  is  the  one  thing  to  which 
the  people  respond.  There  is  a  strong  feeling  against 
charity. 

INDIVIDUAL    ADVICE. 

In  regard  to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  I 
have  never  been  able  to  interest  but  two  young  men  in  it, 
although  I  have  tried  very  hard,  and  as  to  the  two  I  suc- 
ceeded with,  one  merely  went  to  a  dinner  and  the  other 
took  a  course  in  calisthenics.  There  is  one  other  feature, 
and  that  is  that  women  enter  so  largely  into  our  industrial 
work,  and  in  our  industrial  establishments  where  there  are 
women  employed  I  see  very  little  indication  that  Young 
Men^s  Christian  Association  work  reaches  the  women,  and 
it  is  through  the  women  we  must  reach  the  home,  and  that 
is  where  our  personal  work  comes  in. 

In  our  establishment  the  girls  come  to  me,  and  even  the 
men.  There  is  scarcely  a  person  in  the  house  but  will  at 
some  time  come  to  me  for  some  sort  of  advice,  or  for 
directions  as  to  where  they  can  get  this  thing  or  that,  and 
how  it  can  be  provided.  I  have  often  taken  the  matter 
under  investigation  and  shown  them  how  to  do  it.  It  is 
astonishing  to  see  how  many  women  do  not  know  how  to 
sew.  The  girls  are  the  same  way.  They  marry  and  don't 
know  anything  about  housekeeping,  and  many  of  them  do 
not  even  know  how  to  take  a  stitch. 

READING  AND  LUNCH  ROOM. 

We  have  a  reading  room  and  a  lunch  room,  but  do  not 
pretend  to  serve  any  very  great  variety  of  food,  because 
we  have  a  large  restaurant  in  the  house,  and  a  grocery 


114     CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

department  and  delicatessen.  If  the  employees  prefer, 
therefore,  they  can  get  what  they  want,  take  it  to  the  lunch 
room  and  eat  it  there.  We  charge  a  price  sufficient  merely 
to  cover  the  cost  of  service. 

The  Chairman  :  Several  questions  have  been  asked, 
but  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  your  Chairman,  not  know- 
ing the  people  in  front  of  him,  as  individuals,  or  what 
their  work  is,  to  select  any  one  to  answer  them.  I  would 
like  to  have  a  few  moments  given  to  those  questions,  and 
hope  some  of  you  will  volunteer  something  about  insur- 
ance funds,  pensions,  and  profit  sharing. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  introduce  Mr.  Dexter 
S.  Kimball,  manager  of  the  Stanley  Electric  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  at  Pittsfield,  Mass. 

Mr.  Kimbai;.l:  My  object  here  has  been  rather  to 
listen,  hoping  I  might  hear  something  that  would 
throw  light  on  my  own  troubles,  and  show  me  why  the 
movement  with  which  I  have  been  connected  has  been 
more  or  less  of  a  failure. 


NEED  OF   SPECIAL  SUPERVISION  DEMONSTRATED. 

When  the  Stanley  Company,  three  years  ago,  started 
to  build  a  new  factory,  this  matter  was  taken  up  at 
length,  the  President  being  a  man  of  considerable  ex- 
perience and  quite  a  student,  and  it  was  his  wish  to  do 
something  for  the  people  in  the  new  works  to  improve 
their  condition.  Attention  was  paid  to  all  the  details 
of  sanitation,  ventilation,  and  heating,  and  the  best 
plumbing  was  put  in,  and  everything  done  to  make  the 
works  as  habitable  as  possible.     In  addition  to  that,  a 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  115 

building  was  erected  which  included  a  social  room  or  hall, 
to  be  used  for  entertainments,  and  as  a  smoking-room, 
or  anything  of  that  sort. 

After  the  buildings  were  occupied,  an  effort  was  made  to 
organize  a  club  among  the  men,  to  be  a  club  of  the  men 
themselves,  and  not  under  the  wing  of  the  company  at 
all.  It  was  started  by  the  men,  the  company  only  giving 
it  some  financial  support,  and  in  this  they  succeeded  very 
well.  They  organized  a  good  club,  with  all  the  various 
committees  that  have  been  discussed  here  in  connection 
with  other  organizations,  such  as  social  committees.  It 
all  started  off  so  nicely  that  we  talked  of  erecting  a  special 
building  under  the  auspices  of  this  club. 

We  didn't  have  a  regular  "  Social  Secretary,"  and 
there  was  our  mistake,  I  think.  The  initiative  didn't  come 
entirely  from  the  company;  it  came  from  the  men  also, 
but  we  didn't  have  this  Social  Secretary  to  aid  us. 

We  had  a  grievance  committee,  and  that  was  our  un- 
doing as  far  as  this  organization  went.  This  grievance 
committee  was  supposed  to  handle  all  differences  be- 
tween the  employees  and  the  company.  We  have  only 
1,000  employees,  principally  skilled  labor,  in  fact  almost 
entirely.  The  shop  is  practically  unionized.  The  very 
first  time  we  made  an  effort  to  use  our  grievance  com- 
mittee, we  aroused  the  suspicion  of  the  union,  and  those 
of  you  who  have  been  "  up  against "  union  labor  troubles 
know  the  difficulties  we  had  to  contend  with  right  there. 
Now,  if  we  had  had  a  good  "  Social  Secretary  "  to  study 
that  problem  carefully  in  the  first  place,  he  could  have 
gone  in  there  and  brought  those  men  to  see  the  thing  in 
the  right  light,,  but  the  union  has  been  practically  the 
ruination  of  the  organization. 


No.  Description. 

62 — Lunch  room  in  a  city  factory  where  space  is  un- 
usually valuable. 

63 — Lunch  room  space  in  same  city  factory  during  work- 
ing hours. 

In  the  majority  of  the  departments,  tables  and 
benches  are  suspended  from  the  ceilings  by  rope  and 
tackle  and  lowered  into  the  aisles  and  other  vacant 
spaces  during  the  luncheon  time.  Portable  lunch 
counters,  with  gas  connections,  contain  coffee  urns 
and  steam  tables  to  supply  warm  food  throughout  the 
factory.  Sandwiches,  cakes,  pies,  milk,  and  other 
cold  articles  also  find  their  places  on  these  lunch 
counters.  While  conditions  prevent  the  restful 
change  of  air  and  scene  during  luncheon,  this  em- 
ployer, realizing  that  necessity  for  the  physical  wel- 
fare, has  endeavored  to  meet  it  with  a  roof  garden. 


116 


,.^,       OF  THE 


CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK.  117 

About  the  only  thing  we  have  succeeded  with  has  been 
a  good  football  team  and  a  good  baseball  team. 

We  have  decided  to  let  the  matter  stand  as  it  is  until 
the  present  antagonism  dies  away,  and  then  we  will  look 
for  a  man.  Just  what  manner  of  man  he  will  have  to  be, 
I  am  unable  to  say,  and  I  am  afraid  to  give  my  opinion 
on  that  subject  in  view  of  all  that  has  been  said  this 
afternoon,  but  I  think  my  case  is  probably  as  hard  a  one 
to  settle  as  there  is,  and  I  shall  be  glad  of  any  suggestions 
in  the  matter  or  to  answer  any  questions. 

Mr.  Nazro  :  Wasn't  there  some  mistake  made  in  trying 
to  give  them  too  much  all  at  once  ?  I  think  that  is  a  great 
mistake  in  welfare  work.  It  should  grow  naturally  and 
slowly.  It  seems  to  me  that  where  a  concern  decides  to 
install  a  gymnasium,  or  a  dining-room,  a  library,  and  a 
number  of  other  things,  and  to  do  that  all  at  once,  it  im- 
mediately arouses  antagonism.  I  think  it  should  be 
brought  in  so  as  to  have  it  grow  slowly  at  first,  and 
progress  along  with  the  works  themselves. 

Mr.  Kimball:  I  think  so  myself. 

Mr.  Nazro:  If  you  want  to  start  a  dining-room,  of 
course  it  is  well  to  have  those  things  come  from  the  em- 
ployees themselves.  It  is  better  if  it  can  be  brought  about 
in  a  diplomatic  way,  so  that  the  employees  themselves 
suggest  it.  If  the  company  does  too  much  at  once,  I  think 
there  is  a  tendency  among  the  employees  to  feel  that  the 
company  is  spending  more  money  than  it  ought  in  this 
direction,  and  that  this  money  should  be  applied  to 
wages. 

Mr.  Kimball:  I  feel  that  we  should  have  had  a 
"  Social  Secretary  "  in  the  beginning,  because  managers 


ii8  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

are  busy  men,  and,  as  a  rule,  they  have  not  the  time  or 
inclination  to  do  the  thing  thoroughly. 

Mr.  Patterson  :  Several  people  here  have  asked  to 
have  this  meeting  extended  to  to-morrow  afternoon  or 
to-morrow  evening,  as  they  would  like  to  remain  to- 
morrow if  that  is  done.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  are  just 
getting  at  the  facts  now,  and  it  will  take  another  day  to 
bring  out  all  the  important  features  which  we  want.  I 
would  like  very  much  to  have  the  meeting  continued  to- 
morrow. 

(After  considerable  discussion,  it  was  decided  to  con- 
tinue the  meeting  as  late  as  necessary  to  conclude  the 
conference  in  one  day,  as  many  had  not  arranged  to  re- 
main two  days.) 

The  Secretary:  In  our  plan  of  work  we  have  pro- 
vided for  the  consideration  of  the  "  Labor  Bureau  "  in 
connection  with  welfare  work.  We  had  expected  to  have 
Mr.  C.  U.  Carpenter  with  us  to-day  to  especially  present 
the  subject.  I  want  to  ask  if  Mr.  Patterson  would  be 
willing  to  explain,  in  view  of  what  Mr.  Kimball  has  said 
relative  to  his  difficulty,  how  they  solved  the  problem, 
which  presented  itself  in  their  trouble  with  the  unions  at 
the  factory  of  the  National  Cash  Register  Company, 
through  a  labor  bureau. 

The  Chairman  :  Will  Mr.  Patterson  kindly  respond 
to  this  request,  and  also  describe  the  welfare  work  which 
is  promoted  in  connection  with  his  factory? 

Mr.  Patterson:  Had  I  known  five  years  ago  what  I 
have  learned  from  Mr.  Vreeland  and  others  present  here, 


CONFERENCE   ON  WELFARE   WORK.  119 

our  company  would  have  been  saved  much  time  and 
trouble. 

A  great  many  persons  have  said  to  me :  "  Why  did 
you  e^^er  have  a  strike  at  your  factory  if  wdfaie  work 
really  pa3rs  ?  " 

Welfare  work  had  httle  to  do  with  the  strike  which 
toc4c  place  in  May,  1901,  and  lasted  seven  weeks.  What 
caused  our  strike  was,  ostensibly,  our  refusal  to  rq^ace 
four  men  who  had  been  discharged  for  incompetency 
or  lack  of  work,  or  like  good  causes.  We  had  new  nmoos 
to  deal  with,  and  some  of  the  Western  unions  were  cmde. 

A  few  of  our  forty-two  foremen  did  not  treat  tlieir 
men  properly  preceding  the  strike. 

We  had  no  labor  bureau  to  settle  di^Mttes.  Some- 
times they  were  attended  to  by  one  or  more  of  the  heads 
of  the  various  departments,  and  sometimes  by  tfie  general 
manager,  or  by  the  board  of  directors,  or  the  factory 
committee. 

Previous  to  the  strike  we  did  not  call  meetings  of  die 
rank  and  file  of  our  employees  to  explain  to  them  oar 
side  of  the  questions  at  issue,  as  we  do  now.  We  have  a 
labor  bureau  of  two  committees — one  conqxjsed  of  the 
head  of  the  emplo\-ment  department,  the  chairman  of  tfie 
factor}'  committee  and  his  assistant,  who  consider  com- 
plaints. The  higher  committee  to  which  final  a|4)eal  is 
made  is  composed  of  the  President,  the  General  Manager, 
and  the  Assistant  General  Manager. 

Welfare  woiic  is  an  eflFort  of  the  employer  and  em- 
ployee to  cooperate  for  the  benefit  of  each  other.  It  is 
a  waste  unless  it  brings  good  will  and  cooperation  on  the 
part  of  the  employee. 

Welfare  woiic  does  not  antagonize  union  organizations 


> 


I20  CONFERENCE   ON    WELFARE    WORK. 

nor  attempt  to  supplant  them.  Welfare  work  has  nothing 
to  do  with  union  affairs.  The  chief  aims  of  labor  unions 
are  to  secure  shorter  hours  and  increased  wages.  Labor 
union  interests  do  not  extend  beyond  their  own  organi- 
zations. Welfare  work  is  much  broader.  It  applies  to 
all  departments  in  our  factory.  Our  office  departments, 
which  are  not  unionized,  share  equally  in  the  benefits  of 
welfare  work.  Our  idea  of  welfare  work  is  to  do  every 
employee  good,  no  matter  what  he  believes  or  belongs  to. 
It  brings  us  together  to  talk  over  things,  and,  when 
properly  conducted,  goes  far  toward  bettering  the  con- 
dition of  all  parties  concerned. 

Our  welfare  work  is  going  on  more  than  ever. 

GENERAL  VIEW   OF  THE   WELFARE   WORK. 

The  company  maintains  a  Welfare  Department,  with 
a  man  in  charge,  whom  it  pays.  He  has  three  assistants, 
who  are  also  paid  by  the  company.  This  department  looks 
after  the  mental,  moral,  and  physical  welfare  of  all  our 
men  and  women  employees. 

Attention  is  given  to  the  hygiene  of  the  factory.  Large 
windows  admit  plenty  of  light  and  sunshine.  The  venti- 
lation and  heat  are  properly  looked  after.  Every  fifteen 
minutes  the  air  in  the  factory  and  offices  is  changed  by 
means  of  a  fan  system. 

High  back  chairs  and  foot  rests  are  furnished  the 
women  workers. 

Free  lectures  by  noted  people  are  given  from  time  to 
time. 

The  surroundings  of  the  factory  are  made  as  beautiful 
as    possible    through    landscape    gardening,    well    kept 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  121 

lawns,  etc.  The  interior  is  kept  clean  and  bright,  is  well 
painted,  and  everything  is  made  as  cheerful  as  possible. 

Free  baths  and  free  Hbraries  are  provided.  Each  em- 
ployee is  allowed  two  baths  per  week  in  summer  and  one 
in  winter  on  the  company's  tirne.  The  libraries  are  open 
at  all  seasonable  hours,  and  are  stocked  with  good  books, 
magazines,  and  papers. 

We  furnish  luncheon  at  the  officers'  club,  which  is 
composed  of  the  officers  of  the  company,  the  heads  and 
assistant  heads  of  departments;  at  the  men's  dining- 
room,  where  all  office  employees  take  luncheon,  and  at 
the  women's  dining-room,  where  all  the  young  women 
get  their  luncheon.  All  these  meals  are  furnished  at  the 
actual  cost  of  the  raw  materials. 

This  feature  has  not  been  extended  to  our  making 
force  as  yet,  but  the  matter  is  now  being  considered  by 
the  men's  welfare  league. 

We  furnish  supper  to  all  our  employees  when  they 
work  overtime.  This  is  furnished  at  the  company's  ex- 
pense. 

I  almost  forgot  to  mention  that  the  company  furnishes 
a  plot  of  ground  for  boys'  gardens,  where  the  boys  of 
the  neighborhood  are  taught  how  to  raise  vegetables, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  are  also  taught  to  work.  The  com- 
pany furnishes  the  seed  and  an  instructor.  The  boys  do 
all  the  work.  Prizes  are  given  by  the  company  for  the 
best  gardens.  You  have  no  idea  how  these  boys'  gardens 
have  improved  the  neighborhood  around  the  factory. 

The  male  employees,  numbering  about  three  thousand, 
formed  a  men's  welfare  league  last  January  and  selected 
their  own  officers.  The  President  of  this  league  gives 
part  of  his  time  to  this  work,  while  the  Secretary  gives 


122  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

his  entire  time  to  it.  This  league  was  organized  not 
only  to  look  after  the  conditions  of  the  male  employees 
of  our  factory,  but  is  extending  its  work  to  the  families 
of  the  members  and  to  the  city  of  Dayton,  through  com- 
mittees that  have  been  named  for  that  purpose.  Any  sug- 
gestions which  employees  have  to  make  for  the  better- 
ment of  their  conditions  in  the  factory  are  given  to  the 
head  of  our  welfare  department,  and  the  attention  of  the 
management  is  called  to  these  suggestions  through  this 
head. 

Through  the  influence  of  this  men's  league  the  owners 
of  neighboring  property  have  been  induced  to  beautify 
their  homes  with  flowers,  vines,  and  shrubs  in  keeping 
with  the  factory  grounds,  which  are  laid  out  and  main- 
tained in  accord  with  the  most  advanced  ideas  of  landscape 
gardening. 

They  are  also  making  an  effort  for  the  betterment  of 
our  public  schools,  and  for  this  purpose  have  sent  com- 
mittees to  various  cities  to  look  into  this  school  question 
and  report  to  the  league.  They  are  trying  to  get  manual 
training  schools  for  our  city. 

They  also  have  a  committee  on  parks  and  street  im- 
provements, and  committees  on  public  nuisances,  health, 
etc. 

You  will  see  that  the  work  started  by  the  men's  league 
is  not  limited  to  our  factory,  but  is  having  its  influence 
on  the  whole  city  of  Dayton. 

The  women's  welfare  league,  composed  of  employees, 
devotes  its  time  to  looking  after  the  women  of  the  fac- 
tory. Cooking,  sewing,  and  dancing  classes  are  doing 
much  good  in  teaching  young  women  the  duties  of  the 
home,  as  well  as  healthful  enjoyment.     A  small  fee  is 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  123 

required  of  each  member  of  the  classes,  but  the  company 
puts  its  rooms,  with  hght  and  heat,  at  their  disposal. 

A  mother's  club,  composed  of  women  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  factory,  has  been  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  this  work  into  their  homes.  An  N.  C.  R.  house 
has  been  established  for  the  teaching  of  the  children  of 
the  neighborhood.  The  company  provides  a  settlement 
worker  to  take  charge  of  this  work  and  of  the  classes. 

Our  young  women  have  what  is  called  the  women's 
century  club,  which  meets  twice  a  month,  when  they  read 
papers  and  discuss  things  of  mutual  interest  to  young 
women.  They  have  well  known  people  talk  to  them  on 
health,  how  to  dress  economically,  and  subjects  that  are 
of  practical  benefit  to  girls.  This  club  has  recently  es- 
tablished a  club  house  for  young  women  who  are  em- 
ployed at  the  factory  and  who  have  not  homes  in  the 
city.  A  matron  is  in  charge  of  the  club  house.  This  is 
all  done  by  the  young  women  themselves,  the  company 
having  contributed  only  a  part  toward  the  furnishing 
of  the  house. 

Lectures  are  given  to  our  young  women  from  time  to 
time.  The  women's  welfare  league  is  publishing  a  quar- 
terly magazine  called  Women's  Welfare.  It  has  a  large 
subscription  list.  The  young  women  are  endeavoring, 
through  this  publication,  to  extend  welfare  work  as  much 
as  possible  into  factories  all  over  this  country  where 
young  women  are  employed. 

The  men's  welfare  league  is  now  considering  getting 
up  a  similar  publication  for  the  purpose  of  extending 
welfare  work. 

I  consider  that  the  welfare  work  as  conducted  at  the 


No,  Description. 

66 — Garden  for  boys  of  employees'  in  a  manufacturing 
plant. 

66y2 — Factory  workers'  dancing  party. 


124 


OP  THE 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  125 

present  time  at  our  factory  is  doing  much  to  create  the 
proper  feeHng  between  the  company  and  its  employees. 

Mr.  D.  E.  Titsworth  (Manager  Potter  Printing 
Press  Company,  Plainfield,  N.  J.)  :  If  there  is  any  one 
present  who  can  speak  from  the  standpoint  of  the  smaller 
manufacturer,  who  does  not  and  can  not  build  casinos 
and*  promote  welfare  work  on  a  large  scale,  but  does  want 
to  get  a  better  understanding  between  employer  and  em- 
ployee, I  should  be  glad  to  hear  something  along  that 
line. 

We  employ  only  three  hundred  men,  and  the  kind  of 
welfare  work  I  want  to  get  at  is  where  every  man  feels 
that  his  welfare  depends  upon  his  efficiency,  that  the 
welfare  of  himself  and  of  his  employer  is  augmented  by 
each  getting  a  view  of  the  other's  standpoint,  and  that 
the  welfare  of  the  community  will  be  determined  by  the 
raising  of  the  standard  of  skill  of  every  individual  man 
in  it.  I  am  encouraged  by  what  I  have  heard  here  about 
getting  our  men  together,  and  I  think  we  can  establish 
an  arbitration  committee.  If  any  one  else  is  working  on 
that  theory,  I  would  be  glad  to  hear  from  him. 

Miss  Hirschler:  If  there  is  no  one  ready  to  speak 
on  that  subject  I  will  say,  with  reference  to  the  request 
for  something  on  profit-sharing,  that  we  have  started  a 
system  of  profit-sharing,  but  we  have  not  proved  it  at 
all.  All  of  the  people,  all  our  sales  people,  are  on  a  per- 
centage system,  and  they  are  responsible  for  their  in- 
dividual sales.  But  I  am  not  prepared  to  talk  yet  about 
the  success  of  the  system.  The  first  dividend  will  not 
be  declared  until  next  September. 

Mr.  Krumbhaar:  The  Solvay  Process  Company  has 


126     CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

carried  on  profit-sharing  to  a  limited  extent  in  a  system 
embracing  the  officers  of  the  company,  clerks,  chemists, 
foremen,  and  subforemen,  which  has  proved  successful. 
It  has  worked  out  so  that  the  men  have  shown  greater 
care  in  their  work,  and  have  tried  to  improve  it.  We 
have  not  yet  carried  the  system  to  the  workmen.  That 
may  come,  and  it  may  not,  but  it  certainly  has  worked 
satisfactorily  as  far  as  it  has  gone. 

Mr.  Kimball:  In  our  shop  we  adopted  a  system  which 
is  a  form  of  profit-sharing,  and  we  have  found  it  very 
profitable.  We  get  more  product  and  the  workman  gets 
more  pay,  and  that  is  a  very  beneficial  form  of  profit- 
sharing. 

Dr.  Frank  Parsons,  of  the  Economic  Club,  Boston : 
The  proprietor  of  the  Leclaire  Paint  Shop,  in  Paris, 
started  many  years  ago  by  giving  his  employees  a  pro- 
portion of  the  profits,  and  finally  gave  them  fifty  per 
cent.,  with  the  result  that  there  was  a  tremendous  in- 
crease in  the  care  and  energy  of  his  workmen,  who  felt 
that  the  reputation  of  the  house  was  their  own,  and  the 
profit  of  the  house  their  own  profits.  The  proprietor 
of  this  shop  died  a  very  wealthy  man,  having  made,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  declaration,  many  times  more  profit 
than  he  would  have  been  able  to  make  under  the  old 
plan.  Another  concern  in  Switzerland  has  met  with  the 
same  success  under  this  plan  of  cooperation.  The  same 
thing  has  happened  in  England,  where  they  have  the 
finest  system  of  this  sort  in  the  world.  The  two  funda- 
mental principles  which  energize  labor,  namely,  (i)  a 
share  in  the  control,  even  if  it  be  only  a  share  in  the  dis- 
cipline (which  adds  so  greatly  to  the  dignity  of  the  em- 
ployees, as  they  become,  in  a  sense,  partners,  although 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  127 

not  full  partners),  and  (2)  a  contingent  share  in  the  re- 
sult of  their  labor — those  two  things  add  an  energy  and 
life  to  employment  that  nothing  else  that  I  know  of 
can;  and  the  difference  in  intelligence,  activity,  and  hap- 
piness among  the  employees,  in  cooperative  institutions 
and  competitive  concerns  of  the  same  class  in  the  same 
localities,  according  to  my  observation,  runs  all  the  way 
from  five  to  fifty  per  cent. 

Mr.  Humphreys:  In  England  the  great  cooperative 
society  itself  does  not  adopt  profit-sharing,  and  I 
would  like  to  know  if  there  is  any  particular  reason  why 
the  English  Cooperative  Society,  whose  very  existence 
is  based  upon  cooperation,  should  not  have  the  system. 

Mr.  Parsons  :  The  English  Wholesale  makes  that  mis- 
take; the  Scottish  Wholesale  does  not.  They  do  give  a 
share  of  the  profits,  and  my  observation  is  that  their  re- 
sults are  better  than  in  England,  very  much  better. 

Mr.  Hubbard:  I  think  the  Leclaire  case  was  the  most 
successful  one  on  record.  It  was,  of  course,  a  place  where 
the  work  was  a  very  large  percentage  of  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction; it  was  largely  in  that  and  very  little  in  the  ma- 
terial. I  have  read  an  article  on  the  subject  which  states 
ihat  since  Leclaire's  death  the  success  of  the  concern  has 
deteriorated,  and  that  it  is  now  really  scarcely  more  suc- 
cessful than  the  ordinary  paint  shop.  The  article  laid  the 
success  chiefly  to  Leclaire  himself  rather  than  to  profit- 
sharing. 

Mr.  Parsons:  I  was  there  less  than  two  years  ago, 
and  am  glad  to  be  able  to  give  you  the  facts.  The  shop 
is  still  very  prosperous  indeed,  and  the  men  are  in  the 
concern  on  the  same  basis.  The  point  the  gentleman 
has  made  about  the  large  percentage  of  labor  is  true.  John 


No.  Description. 

67 — Serving  counters  in  lunch  room  in  a  large  depart- 
ment store. 

68 — Recreation  room  in  a  large  department  store,  with 
open  door  showing  view  of  emergency  hospital  room. 


128 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  129 

Wanamaker  told  me  of  the  effort  that  he  made  in  his 
store,  and  that  he  was  not  satisfied  with  the  results.  He 
only  tried  it  for  a  couple  of  years,  and  said  that  the  girls, 
whjen  they  got  their  $100  in  addition,  or  whatever  it  was, 
could  not  be  persuaded,  in  all  cases,  to  save  that  money. 
One  girl  spent  her  money  for  a  silk  dress,  and  another 
for  a  piano,  and  he  was  not  satisfied  that  they  knew  how 
to  handle  the  money,  and  that  he  would  have  to  discon- 
tinue the  plan. 

Mr.  Hubbard:  I  am  glad  to  have  my  statement  cor- 
rected. 

The  Chairman  :  The  question  as  to  how  this  work 
can  be  taken  up  from  the  standpoint  of  the  manufacturer 
with  a  medium  number  of  employees,  where  the  welfare 
work  is  more  individual  on  account  of  the  small  body 
of  employees,  has  not  yet  received  attention. 

Mr.  Michener:  I  think  in  conection  with  this  ques- 
tion that  a  good  many  of  you  are  "  sizing  up  "  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  in  your  cities  by  what  they 
are  able  to  do  in  the  city  associations  for  the  men  in  the 
factories.  The  theory  of  this  organization  has  always 
been  to  get  the  men  to  come  to  the  building,  and  for  that 
reason  nothing  has  been  done  with  the  small  factories. 
Tha,t  is  being  done  now,  depending  on  what  is  needed. 
There  are  educational  classes,  educational  talks,  and  talks 
by  prominent  men  like  Mr.  Riis,  and  other  well  known 
men,  at  the  noon  hour  or  in  the  evening,  the  bringing 
together  of  these  men  depending  upon  the  situation  of 
the  factory  and  the  men. 

Mr.  Titsworth  :  What  I  mean  is  that  we  have  all 
those  things  now.    We  pay  the  expenses  of  our  appren- 


130  CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK. 

tices  to  the  evening  classes  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  Having  all  that,  we  do  not  need  to  ask 
for  information  along  that  line.  But  we  do  want  to  know 
what  are  the  best  means  for  us  to  employ  which  will  enable 
our  employees  and  ourselves  to  see  each  other's  point 
of  view,  and  thus  secure  a  clearer  understanding  of  our 
mutual  relations. 

Mr.  Humphreys  :  I  can  speak  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  smaller  manufacturer,  as  we  started  on  a  much 
smaller  scale  than  we  are  working  on  at  the  present 
time.  And,  in  starting,  the  main  feature  and  the  most 
successful  foundation  of  our  work  lay  in  a  meeting  of 
all  our  foremen  with  the  men  who  actively  manage  the 
business.  That  was  the  foundation  stone,  the  meeting 
of  the  foremen  and  the  management.  They  laid  the 
foundation  for  the  lunch  club,  and,  in  fact,  for  the  gen- 
eral cooperation  of  all  classes  and  all  features  of  the  in- 
dustrial work;  they  laid  the  foundation  for  the  complete 
system  of  cooperation  in  all  directions,  and  I  believe  that 
is  the  best  possible  arrangement  to  be  entered  into — 
starting  with  a  comparatively  small  body  of  the  men,  and 
having  the  foremen  afterward  work  it  out  in  their  own 
departments. 

(Air.  Vreeland  was  appealed  to  from  the  audience  for 
a  talk  on  the  welfare  work  of  his  company.) 

The  Chairman  :  I  would  prefer  to  wait  a  little  longer 
before  I  say  anything,  so  as  to  give  every  one  a  chance  to 
talk  on  the  various  questions  that  are  before  us  which 
have  been  suggested  by  different  ones  and  remain  un- 
answered. I  see  one  familiar  face  in  the  room,  a  standby 
of  mine  in  a  very  large  railroad  organization,  and  I  know 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  131 

that  he  has  had  experience  in  this  work.  I  will  ask  Mr. 
W.  B.  Albright,  of  the  Sherwin  Williams  Company,  if 
he  will  address  us. 

Mr.  Albright:  I  was  very  much  surprised  to  get  a 
note  from  our  President,  Mr.  Sherwin,  asking  me  to  at- 
tend this  meeting.  He,  especially,  has  been  very  much 
interested  in  this  work  for  the  past  twenty  years. 

PHYSICAL   AND    MENTAL    NEEDS    SUPPLIED. 

We  have  brought  the  work  up  gradually  until  to-day 
we  have  not  an  institution  where  we  do  not  have  all  that 
you  have  told  about  here.  We  have  our  sanitary  con- 
ditions, good  light,  and  our  lunch  rooms,  our  libraries, 
and  our  club  rooms. 

EVENINGS    WITH    EMPLOYEES. 

We  do  everything  we  can  to  get  closer  to  our  men; 
and  among  other  things,  we  have  our  evenings  together. 
The  President,  Vice-president,  and  all  the  members  of 
the  company  meet  with  our  employees  about  once  a 
week,  and  they  have  their  papers — these  papers  are  read 
by  the  different  employees,  some  by  the  foremen,  some 
by  the  workmen.     We  have  evenings  spent  that  way. 

ANNUAL    BANQUET. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  we  give  a  banquet  to  all  our  em- 
ployees. I  think  the  attendance  at  the  last  banquet  num- 
bered over  700,  at  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  in  Cleve- 
land. At  that  banquet  we  had  short  addresses,  after  the 
address    of    welcome    by    our    President,    by    different 


No.  Description. 

4 — ^A  factory  rest-room  for  women,  where  a  young 
woman  temporarily  incapacitated  for  work,  who 
would  lose  her  wage  and  deprive  the  employer  of  the 
output  if  obliged  to  go  home,  may  recover;  or  an- 
other may  find  relief  there  on  reaching  work  half 
frozen.  Tt  is  used  as  a  social  room  and  for  relaxation 
at  the  noon  time. 

5 — A  factory  rest-room. 

6 — A  factory  emergency  hospital  for  the  women  em- 
ployees. 


'32 


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CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  133 

men  in  our  factory;  the  traveling  force  (in  which  we 
have  about  140  men)  was  called  on,  the  foremen,  the 
shipping  clerks,  and  so  on,  clear  down  through  the 
ranks.  When  they  were  invited,  they  were  notified  that 
they  would  be  called  upon  for  short  talks  on  different  sub- 
jects, or  they  chose  their  own  subjects;  and  we  spent 
an  hour  and  a  half  after  this  banquet  listening  to  these 
short  addresses.  After  that  the  place  was  turned  over  to 
the  young  people  for  a  dance. 

THE    ""  TOP    NOTCH  "    SYSTEM.  . 

We  have  what  we  call  the  ''  top  notch  "  system,  some- 
thing I  haven't  heard  of  here  to-day.  That  system  exists 
in  all  the  different  departments  of  our  institution.  It  is 
made  up  by  points,  governing  the  different  departments. 
For  instance,  we  have  eight  or  nine  managers  for  our 
different  houses.  At  the  end  of  the  year  the  manager  who 
has  made  the  most  points,  or  profit,  from  the  office  of 
manager,  is  called  the  "  top  notch  "  manager,  and  with 
that  top  notch  he  has  a  check  of  $500  added  to  his  salary. 
That  system  is  followed  right  down  to  the  boy  who  sweeps 
out  the  rooms ;  it  goes  through  every  department.  They 
have  also  presented  to  them  a  little  gold  badge  with  a 
"  T.  N."  on  it,  which  they  are  supposed  to  wear  for  the 
year.  There  is  a  competition  from  this  that  results  not 
only  in  good  for  the  manager,  but  for  the  firm,  and  re- 
sults in  good  with  the  managers  of  the  different  floors, 
the  foremen  of  our  different  departments,  and  we  are  con- 
stantly trying  to  work  up  devices  to  bring  us  in  closer 
touch  with  the  workmen  in  our  shops.  An  Englishman 
who  spent  a  couple  of  days  at  our  plant  said :  "  I  can 


134  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

thoroughly  understand  the  success  of  your  business. 
From  the  office  boy  to  your  manager,  the  heart  and  soul 
is  in  the  work,  and,  therefore,  you  can't  help  but  suc- 
ceed." We  feel  that,  and  we  believe  it  is  true,  that  from 
the  "  Buttons  "  to  the  general  manager  of  the  institution, 
they  are  all  heart  and  soul  in  the  work,  and  on  that  we 
think  the  continuance  of  our  success  depends. 

Mr.  Parsons:  This  great  subject  is  not  merely 
humanitarian.  Capital  is  quite  as  much  interested  in  the 
care  and  improvement  of  the  human  machinery,  the 
human  element  in  production,  as  it  is  in  the  machinery 
made  of  brass  and  steel. 

The  Chairman  :  We  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  Mr. 
E.  A.  Stedman,  Manager  of  the  Atlantic  Department  of 
Wells  Fargo  &  Co. 

Mr.  Stedman  :  I  am  with  a  transportation  company, 
which  has  in  its  numerous  offices  all  the  way  from  "  half 
a  man  "  in  country  railway  offices,  up  to  five  or  six  hun- 
dred employees,  in  places  like  New  York  and  Chicago. 
We  deal  almost  entirely  with  the  human  element. 

a  pension  system. 

I  don't  know  that  I  can  say  much  that  would  be  of 
benefit  to  you,  but  I  can  answer  the  question  that  has  been 
asked  with  reference  to  pension  schemes.  We  have  one, 
adopted  two  years  ago,  under  which  we  allow  a  man  for 
each  year  of  service  one  per  cent,  of  his  average  salary 
during  the  last  ten  years  of  his  service  with  the  company. 
For  instance,  if  a  man  has  been  with  us  twenty-five  years, 
he  gets  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  his  average  salary  during 
the  last  ten  years,  when  he  retires. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  135 

VARIOUS    WELFARE   EFFORTS. 

We  also  pay  the  surety  bond  premiums  of  our  em- 
ployees, which  costs  about  $15,000  yearly. 

Every  Thanksgiving  season  we  give  each  employee  a 
turkey. 

We  give  annual  vacations,  with  pay,  ranging  from  three 
days  up  to  a  month,  depending  upon  the  position  occupied 
by  the  employee. 

• 

LIBRARIES    MANAGED    BY    EMPLOYEES. 

We  have  libraries,  such  as  have  been  described  here,  but 
I  believe  that  the  most  successful  library  is  the  one  which 
the  employees  manage.  We  have  five  or  six  of  these,  to 
which  we  contributed  as  much  as  the  employees  paid  in 
themselves  during  the  first  three  years.  Since  the  first 
three  years  they  have  been  supported  entirely  by  the  small 
fees  paid  by  members.  We  have  placed  dictionaries  and 
encyclopedias  at  many  terminal  stations,  but  the  em- 
ployees do  not  use  them  generally. 

LOCAL   BENEFIT  ASSOCIATIONS. 

With  the  employees  scattered,  as  ours  are,  we,  of  course, 
can  have  no  clubs,  but  we  encourage  employees  in  cities 
to  have  their  local  benefit  organizations. 

RECREATION. 

In  Jersey  City  they  have  an  annual  ball,  for  which  we 
provide  the  hall;  but  we  do  not  volunteer  much  in  that 
line,  preferring  that  employees  should  take  the  initiative. 


No.  Description. 

7 — ^A  factory  dressing-room  for  women  employees,  where 
the  work  necessitates  change  of  clothing. 

8 — A  factory  wash-room  for  women  employees.  Good 
ventilation  is  insured  by  outside  windows.  It  is 
large  enough  to  accommodate  the  sixty  women  in 
one  of  the  departments  who  must  "  wash  up  "  and 
be  out  of  the  mill  in  the  ten  minutes  prescribed  by 
the  rules.  Soap,  towels,  and  hot  water  are  provided. 
The  soap  is  used  without  removal  from  the 
holders,  which  are  designed  to  prevent  waste  and  loss. 
One  roller  towel  for  ten  persons  is  supplied  twice 
each  day.  The  nature  of  the  industry  is  such  that 
hot  water  is  essential. 


136 


J-S 


CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK.  137 

As  to  helping  them  to  obtain  gymnasium  and  club  facili- 
ties, we  rely  largely  on  the  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociation, and  if  an  employee  wants  to  join  it  we  pay 
half  the  fees.    Many  have  availed  themselves  of  this  offer. 

INSURANCE    ASSOCIATION. 

Somebody  spoke  of  insurance.  The  employees  of  the 
express  companies  have  an  insurance  organization,  which 
nearly  failed,  because  they  organized  it  on  the  old- 
fashioned  plan  of  practically  "  passing  around  the  hat  " 
when  a  member  died,  and  taking  a  dollar  from  every 
man,  regardless  of  his  age,  and,  as  a  result,  many  old  and 
unhealthy  men  got  in  because  they  received  protection  at 
much  less  than  it  was  worth.  But  the  Association  has 
been  reorganized  on  a  plan  similar  to  that  of  the  New 
York  Life  Insurance  Company,  and  the  other  "  old  line  " 
companies,  and  now  has  the  strongest  proportionate  re- 
serve of  any  similar  life  insurance  association;  that 
is,  a  "three  per  cent."  reserve.  In  addition  to  that,  we  have 
a  surplus  of  $30,000,  after  operating  two  years  under  the 
new  plan.  We  intend  to  make  the  first  distribution  of 
dividends  next  month,  about  $12,000.  The  express  com- 
panies collect  the  contributions,  or  premiums,  without 
charge,  and  assist  the  Association  in  many  ways,  so  that 
the  operating  expenses  are  only  two  or  three  per  cent., 
whereas  the  expenses  in  most  insurance  companies  are 
about  twenty-seven  per  cent.  The  members  get  the  bene- 
fit of  this  saving. 

(At  the  request  of  several  delegates,  who  were  obliged 
to  take  early  trains  and  particularly  desired  to  hear  him. 


138  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

Mr.  H.  H.  Vreeland,  President  New  York  City  Railway 
Company,  was  prevailed  upon  to  speak  at  this  time.) 

Mr.  Vreeland:  From  an  experience  based  upon 
twenty-seven  or  twenty-eight  years  of  active  railroad 
work,  both  steam  and  street  railway,  an  experience  de- 
rived from  membership  in  many  labor  organizations  (hav- 
ing been  an  active  member — at  times  an  officer — of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Railroad  Trainmen,  Order  of  Railway 
Conductors,  etc.),  and  from  an  active  membership  in 
secret  organizations  such  as  the  Odd  Fellows,  I  am  thor- 
oughly familiar  with  the  work  these  associations  aim  to 
do  and  what  they  accomplish.  My  observation  of  the 
various  organizations  that  I  have  spoken  of  (and  I  should 
include  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association)  has  been 
that  their  work  related  entirely  to  the  individual,  the  man 
— that  it  did  not  go  beyond  that  into  the  home  life  or  fam- 
ily life.  This,  it  seems  to  me,  is  where  the  opportunity 
and  necessity  for  this  welfare  work,  about  which  we  have 
been  talking,  comes  in. 

So  far  as  general  welfare  work,  so  known,  is  concerned, 
I  have  never  paid  any  particular  attention  to  it  until  the 
last  few  months,  outside  of  my  own  business ;  and  I  was 
very  much  astonished  to  find  the  amount  going  on  around 
the  country  in  various  ways.  But  my  work  has  been 
molded  on  a  plan  that  would  give  the  best  results  for  our 
company  and  our  employees.  We  start  with  the  man, 
with  the  employee,  and  if  he  is  progressive  and  skilful,  he 
has  a  standing  which  is  gained  by  his  work ;  nobody  can 
discharge  him,  but  he  has  his  discharge  entirely  in  his  own 
hands;  no  one  can  discharge  him  but  himself.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  there  is  a  fund  to  bury  him,  and  there  is 
a  pension  for  him  in  his  old  age.    I  have  found  that  the 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  139 

wife  of  the  average  laboring  man  will  always  land  on  her 
feet  if  given  time.  If  her  husband  dies  suddenly,  and  she 
has  something  to  tide  her  over  for  a  few  weeks,  she  will 
get  something  to  support  herself.  Now  we  both  provide 
a  fund  that  will  bury  a  man  and  something  that  will  pro- 
vide for  his  family  until  they  can  get  their  bearings  and 
start  over  again. 

In  talking  of  this  kind  of  work  I  have  had  men  say  to 
me,  "  That  is  all  right.  You  can  do  it  with  three  or  four 
hundred  men,  but  you  can't  do  it  with  a  large  number." 
I  say  I  can  do  it  with  fifteen  to  twenty-five  thousand,  and 
am  doing  it  to-day  with  fifteen  thousand.  I  might  say 
right  here  that  I  have  directly  in  my  own  system  fifteen 
thousand  employees,  and,  indirectly,  through  an  advisory 
management,  I  have  to  do  with  about  thirty  thousand. 
Twenty  years  ago  I  had  five  hundred ;  so  I  can  speak  from 
both  sides  of  the  question. 

SUCCESS  DEPENDENT  UPON  ACTIVE  INTEREST  OF  THOSE  IN 
CONTROL  OF  BUSINESS. 

Now,  as  to  success  or  failure  in  this  kind  of  work,  it 
depends  almost  entirely  on  the  extent  of  the  active  interest 
taken  in  it  by  the  men  in  control  of  the  business.  I  per- 
fected the  first  organization  in  connection  with  the  .street 
railroad  work  in  which  I  am  now  engaged.  It  was  a 
success  from  the  start  and  has  been  ever  since,  while 
many  similar  organizations  have  failed.  A  common  cause 
of  failure  I  can  best  illustrate  by  relating  the  experience 
of  a  railroad  in  the  West  employing  about  one  thousand 
men.  They  sent  their  representative  to  our  office,  got 
our  constitution,  and  by-laws,  method  of  organization  and 


No.  Description. 

47 — Cigar  stand  and  pool  room  in  boarding  house  for 
factory  employees. 

48 — Bowling  alley  in  a  factory. 


J  40 


VERS/T 

OF 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  141 

everything,  and  organized.  The  president  of  the  road 
came  to  me  eight  months  afterward  and  said,  "  Mr.  Vree- 
land,  I  can't  understand  it.  Our  organization  is  a  complete 
failure."  I  said,  *'  Probably  I  can  tell  you  why  it  is  a 
failure  without  an  explanation  from  you.  You  started  this 
organization  with  a  great  hurrah ;  you  were  present  your- 
self ;  your  other  officers  were  there.  Have  you  as  Presi- 
dent ever  attended  a  meeting  since  ?  "  He  said,  "  No ;  I 
am  too  busy."  I  said,  "  Has  your  Vice-President  been 
present,  your  general  manager,  your  superintendent  ? " 
To  all  of  which  he  answered,  "  No." 

COOPERATION  OF  MANAGEMENT   WITH  SECRETARY 
NECESSARY. 

Now,  they  had  a  secretary,  as  I  have  a  secretary,  but 
that  secretary's  work  was  not  personally  assisted  by  any 
one  in  the  management  of  the  company.  He  asked  me 
why  we  had  been  so  successful,  and  I  told  him  that  in 
conjunction  with  the  secretary's  work,  in  nine  years,  since 
the  organization  was  formed,  I  had  never  missed  a  meet- 
ing, or  let  a  meeting  pass  without  my  being  on  the  plat- 
form to  speak  to  the  men,  unless  it  was  through  illness — 
in  addition  to  which  every  vice-president  and  every  head 
of  every  department  of  our  company  was  also  present.  I 
was  ill  one  night,  and  when  I  looked  over  the  list  of  those 
who  were  in  attendance  on  that  night  (it  was  known  I  was 
going  to  be  away) ,  I  found  there  was  not  a  representative 
man  of  our  railroad  company  that  attended  that  meeting. 
Every  one  of  them  explained  afterward  that  he  had  an 
engagement.  It  never  occurred  again.  We  have  a  com- 
petent secretary,  but  the  secretary  is  only  one  of  the  spokes 


142  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

in  the  wheel.  The  whole  management  is  interested  in  the 
work  and  in  the  forwarding  of  the  work ;  and  so  far  as 
any  antipathy  of  the  employees  is  concerned,  or  any  feel- 
ing of  that  character,  after  the  experience  of  the  twenty 
odd  years  that  I  have  been  in  this  work,  I  can  say  from  a 
personal  knowledge  of  the  feelings  of  the  men  (having 
been  in  like  positions  with  them)  there  is  none. 

You  can  go  to  our  club  room,  and  in  that  seat  there 
you  will  find  five  motormen  and  five  conductors,  one  of 
the  vice-presidents;  in  this  seat  there  are  half  a  dozen 
engineers  and  machinists ;  and  there  is  a  superintendent 
of  transportation,  here  the  head  of  the  electrical  depart- 
ment, and  there  the  head  of  the  mechanical  department; 
every  one  of  our  people  is  in  touch  with  the  men. 

CHARITY  ELIMINATED. 

Another  factor  in  the  success  of  our  organization  has 
been  the  understanding  that  there  is  absolutely  no  charity 
in  connection  with  it.  When  it  was  formed  the  company 
pledged  itself  to  supply  rooms,  light,  heat  and  all  the 
material  features  necessary  for  a  club  organization,  pay 
the  salary  of  a  secretary,  and  assume  generally  all  expense 
of  operation,  so  that  all  moneys  paid  in  by  the  employees 
would  be  returned  to  them  in  sick  benefits  and  death  bene- 
fits, or  would  remain  in  the  reserve  fund  for  that  pur- 
pose. We  started  out  on  that  basis,  but  every  additional 
feature  of  the  association's  work  has  been  provided  by 
the  men  themselves.  This  organization  to  which  I  refer 
has  over  six  thousand  active  members.  It  is  officered  by 
the  men.  The  only  real  representative  of  the  company 
on  the  board  is  the  president  of  the  company,  who  is  ex- 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  143 

officio  president  of  the  Association,  but  the  vote  on  every- 
thing is  controlled  by  the  representatives  of  the  employees, 
elected  by  themselves. 

THE  CLUB  HOUSE. 

There  is  one  feature  in  connection  with  my  work  here 
which  may  not  be  met  with  frequently  in  manufacturing 
establishments.  In  the  ten  thousand  of  my  men  situated 
on  Manhattan  Island  I  have  a  large  percentage  of  men 
who  live  in  boarding  houses.  Many  of  them  are  from  the 
country ;  others  have  no  homes.  Twenty-eight  years  ago 
as  a  brakeman  on  a  steam  railroad  I  was  in  the  same  posi- 
tion— away  from  home  and  forced  to  live  in  the  boarding 
houses  that  the  railroad  terminals  and  my  wages  afforded. 
There  was  absolutely  no  place  for  me  in  the  evening  where 
it  was  warm  except  the  saloon  and  the  pool  room.  I  said 
to  myself :  "  Here  is  something  our  men  need,  based  on 
my  own  experience."  For  years  railroad  men  scoffed  at 
this  idea,  but  through  the  agency  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  living,  boarding,  and  club  house 
facilities  have  now  been  established  at  most  of  the  large 
railroad  termiinals  throughout  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  Our  situation,  while  different,  still  required  some 
of  the  same  facilities.  We  established  the  club  house  fea- 
tures, and  they  were  immediately  used,  and  used  ex- 
tensively. You  can  find  our  club  rooms  full  every  night 
in  the  week.  We  established  a  large  and  comprehensive 
library,  carrying  first  class  literature,  and  equipped  a  room 
with  pool  tables.  The  library  idea  was  rather  pooh-poohed 
by  our  friends.  They  said  to  us :  "  Your  employees  do 
an  arduous  day's  work  and  go  home,  and  you  will  hear 
nothing  more  of  them." 


No.  Description. 

45 — A  factory  roof  garden. 

46 — Operatic  performance  by  factory  employees. 


144 


or 


CONFERENCE    ON   WELFARE    WORK.  145 

REACHING  THE  FAMILIES  THROUGH  THE  LIBRARY. 

.  But  I  had  the  object  of  getting  at  the  families,  and  when 
I  gave  that  library  to  the  association  I  stated  at  a  meet- 
ing where  there  were  some  six  thousand  of  our  employees 
with  their  wives  and  families,  that  it  was  the  desire  of  the 
management  that  the  catalogues  of  the  library  should  go 
into  the  house  of  every  employee  who  had  a  family — ^that 
we  wanted  the  wives  and  daughters  and  sons  of  our  em- 
ployees to  use  the  books.  I  also  said  that  if  there  were  a 
man  who  had  a  son  or  a  daughter  working  for  an  educa- 
tion— a  technical  education,  perhaps — and  it  was  necessary 
to  have  special  text  books  or  books  of  reference,  all  that 
was  necessary  was  for  our  employee  to  apply  to  the 
librarian  and  the  books  would  be  purchased  and  put  in  the 
library.  The  library  was,  so  to  speak,  a  family  affair,  and 
it  was  turned  over  at  least  twenty-five  times  the  first  win- 
ter we  had  it.  It  was  astonishing,  too,  to  see  the  high 
grade  of  literature  that  was  taken  out.  The  use  of  the 
reading-room  didn't  amount  to  so  much,  but  the  use  of 
the  books  in  the  homes  was  very  great. 

Now,  perhaps,  it  will  be  said :  "  What  is  the  value  of  all 
this  in  connection  with  the  company's  work  ?  "  And  the 
answer  is  that  all  our  efforts  should  be  bent  to  getting  the 
best  work  out  of  our  employees,  and  we  believe  that  this 
can  best  be  promoted  by  enlisting  not  only  the  personal 
interest  of  the  individual  employee,  but  the  interest  of  his 
family  as  well. 

PROMPT  ASSISTANCE  IN  CASES  OF  ILLNESS  OR  DISTRESS. 

Now  through  the  instrumentality  of  our  association  a 
case  of  trouble  or  want  in  connection  with  the  families  of 


146  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

our  employees  could  hardly  occur  to-night  without  be- 
coming known  to  me.  How  could  I  get  that  through  any 
outside  organization?  How  do  I  get  it  at  all?  By  our 
method,  it  is  the  duty  of  every  foreman  who  has  men 
under  him,  whether  ten  or  five  hundred,  to  report  to  the 
head  of  his  department  every  case  of  illness  that  occurs 
among  those  men.  The  department  head  reports  it  to  the 
secretary  of  the  association,  who  in  turn  reports  it  to  the 
physician,  and  the  physician  detailed  to  that  section  at- 
tends to  it. 

The  doctor  reports  periodically  to  me  as  to  the  situation 
of  the  families  of  the  employees.  If  the  doctor  is  called 
to-night  to  the  house  of  one  of  my  employees  and  finds 
that  there  is  not  sufficient  nourishing  food  or  fuel  or  any- 
thing of  that  kind,  and  no  money  to  buy  it,  he  will  im- 
mediately call  me  up,  or  in  my  absence  one  of  the  executive 
officers,  and  get  authority  to  straighten  the  matter  out. 

A  number  of  people  in  New  York  City  who  are  very 
active  in  the  charitable  organizations  of  the  city  have 
commented  to  me  on  the  fact  that  our  employees  have  for 
a  number  of  years  been  totally  missing  from  the  lists  of 
beneficiaries  of  the  various  institutions.  The  reason  is 
that  the  matter  is  so  systematized  that  the  proper  care  and 
attention  are  given. 

Now  all  this,  while  accomplished  through  the  agency 
of  our  association,  is  no  part  of  its  work.  The  association 
is  a  mutual  benefit  society  for  health  and  life  insurance, 
with  some  social  features  added.  But  my  work  as  the 
head  of  the  company  goes  far  beyond  that.  It  reaches  the 
home  life  not  only  of  the  employee,  but  of  his  family  as 
well,  and  though  it  is  entirely  outside  the  province  of  the 
Association,  I  could  not  possibly  accomplish  it  without 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  147 

the  use  of  its  machinery.  I  know  more  of  my  men  by 
name  than  the  average  railroad  man  that  has  a  thousand. 
I  know  the  men  themselves,  know  where  they  live  and  a 
great  deal  about  them,  and  I  think  this  intimacy  has  been 
mutually  helpful  in  our  work,  which  is  amply  demon- 
strated by  the  cordial  relations  which  have  always  pre- 
vailed between  the  management  and  the  men. 

Again,  through  the  agency  of  the  association,  if  there 
is  a  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  among  the  employees  in 
any  part  of  the  city  to-night,  to-morrow  morning  we  know 
of  it,  or  some  one  in  active  charge  of  the  work  does ;  and 
there  is  no  better  method  of  getting  this  kind  of  infor- 
mation. 

TALKS   TO  THE   MEN. 

A  railroad  man  who  has  to  do  with  a  large  number  of 
men,  came  to  one  of  our  meetings  one  night,  where  I 
addressed  our  men,  and  he  said  to  me  afterward,  "  Mr. 
Vreeland,  if  this  organization  had  no  other  value  what- 
ever, I  would  give  $50,000  if  I  could  be  placed  in  a  posi- 
tion, where,  if  I  wanted  to  talk  to  my  employees  collect- 
ively, I  could  do  it."  I  said  to  him  that  I  could  call  a 
meeting  to-night,  stating  that  the  president  would  speak 
to-morrow  night  at  the  club  rooms,  and  the  club  rooms 
would  hardly  hold  the  men,  whether  the  talk  was  to  be  on 
labor  questions  or  any  other  subject.  I  never  hesitate  to 
bring  up  any  question,  and  I  have  never  had  anything  but 
the  most  cordial  reception.  I  have  been  asked  if  I  allowed 
outsiders  to  talk  to  my  men.  I  have  never  allowed  it  ex- 
cept on  a  technical  subject  connected  with  my  business, 
and  then  I  knew  what  the  man  was  going  to  say  before 


No.  Description. 

22 — View  of  a  factory  where  special  attention  has  been 
given  to  providing  Hght  work  rooms. 

23 — Another  factory  where  the  construction  insures  light 
work  rooms. 


148 


'ERSITY 

OF 
^/FORNlA 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  149 

he  got  up  and  said  it.  I  have  seen  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
occasioned  by  that,  by  some  one  who  didn't  understand 
just  what  you  were  trying  to  accomplish,  and  I  have  never 
allowed  any  one  to  do  it.  What  we  frequently  do  is  to 
have  the  technical  men  of  our  company  talk  to  the  men 
on  important  features  of  the  business,  illustrating  with 
stereopticon  views.  Of  course,  I  am  not  going  into  the 
question  of  entertainment,  and,  for  that  matter,  I  am  only 
trying  to  outline  what  we  do  for  our  men,  and  the  value 
which  we  think  our  organization  has. 

Of  course,  in  talking  over  matters  that  have  to  do  with 
so  many  years  of  activity,  there  may  be  some  points  in 
connection  with  those  that  Mr.  Patterson  referred  to  that 
I  have  skipped.  I  think,  however,  that  I  have  covered 
the  ground  pretty  thoroughly  as  to  the  original  object. 

(Upon  request  Mr.  Vreeland  described  the  company's 
school  for  new  employees.) 

We  have  a  school  for  the  instruction  of  our  men.  There 
are  a  great  many  roads  around  the  country  where  a  green 
man  is  employed  and  is  turned  out  on  the  public,  witK.'an 
older  employee,  to  get  his  education.  My  idea  of  starting- 
a  school  was  to  separate  the  eye  and  the  brain  and  the 
hand.  Only  a  man  who  is  trained  to  do  it,  for  instance, 
can  get  on  a  locomotive  in  the  dark  and  do  all  the  things 
that  are  necessary  to  run  that  locomotive,  and  he  sees  in 
the  darkness  because  his  hand  is  trained. 

We  take  the  green  man  into  the  room  where  we  have 
every  working  electric  device  that  he  will  have  to  handle 
in  the  operation  of  the  cars,  and  he  is  instructed  there. 
I  have  noticed  that  the  '*  first  day  man  "  follows  every: 
movement  with  his  eyes ;  the  "  second  day  man  "  will  ."fol- 
low two  movements;  the  man  who  has  been  there  three 


I50  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

days  will  follow  one  movement ;  and  the  man  who  has  been 
under  instruction  four  days  never  takes  his  eyes  from  the 
mark  over  his  instructor's  head.  In  this  way  the  man 
learns  to  use  his  hands  to  operate  the  apparatus  without 
taking  his  eyes  from  the  street.  We  do  not  take  any  man 
upon  the  street  except  to  finish  what  is  called  his  "  street 
education  " — where  to  stop,  etc.  The  same  principle  is 
carried  out  with  all  classes  of  our  employees  which  have 
to  deal  with  electric  equipment. 

Mr.  Parsons  :  What  would  be  your  idea  of  giving  em- 
ployees a  share  in  the  profits? 

Mr.  Vreeland:  That  question  has  never  come  up  in 
railroad  business,  except  in  connection  with  stock,  and 
that  has  been  done  two  or  three  times  in  this  country, 
generally  with  the  same  result  that  was  had  in  the  Steel 
Corporation.  You  take  an  employee  and  give  him  stock 
that  pays  5  per  cent,  and  sell  it  to  him  at  125,  then  you 
must  keep  that  stock  at  125. 

The  Chairman:  I  will  now  ask  Mr.  E.  F.  Olmsted, 
who  has  charge  of  the  welfare  work  for  the  Natural  Food 
Company,  at  Niagara  Falls,  to  give  an  outline  of  their 
efforts. 

Mr.  Olmsted  :  The  welfare  work  as  conducted  by  the 
Natural  Food  Company  at  their  Niagara  Falls  plant  is  of 
a  most  practical  nature,  there  being  no  attempt  whatever 
to  carry  out  experiments  or  to  work  out  sociological  prob- 
lems— the  idea  being  mainly  to  surround  the  employees 
with  ideal  working  conditions,  thereby  creating  a  desire 
for  better  things  in  the  home  as  well  as  factory. 

The  conservatory  is  located  in  the  center  of  the  resi- 
dence part  of  the  city,  far  removed  from  the  smoke  and 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  151 

dirt  of  the  manufacturing  region,  and,  therefore,  cleanly 
conditions  are  easily  maintained. 

The  building  is  of  steel,  with  just  enough  brick  to  cover 
the  girders,  the  balance  of  the  wall  space  being  devoted 
entirely  to  windows.  Each  window  is  double  glazed  in 
order  to  exclude  the  dust  and  smoke.  This  building  is 
finished  throughout  in  hardwood  and  white  enamel,  thus 
giving  the  greatest  possible  advantages  for  light  and  airy 
working  rooms. 


VENTILATION. 

The  building  is  ventilated  throughout  by  the  fan  sys- 
tem, the  air  being  changed  in  the  manufacturing  section 
automatically  every  fifteen  minutes,  in  the  offices  every 
seven  and  one-half  minutes,  and  in  the  lecture  room  every 
five  minutes. 

The  air  is  brought  in  from  the  tower  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  ground  and  is  conveyed  to  the  first  floor  of  the 
building,  where  in  the  winter  it  is  heated  and  then  forced 
throughout  the  building.  Electric  thermostats  regulate 
the  temperature. 


CLEANLINESS. 

We  have  a  force  of  twelve  janitors  continually  at  work 
to  keep  the  building  in  good  condition. 

The  use  of  tobacco  in  any  foim  is  prohibited  in  the 
building. 


152  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

LUNCHEONS. 

The  employees  of  the  company  are  provided  with  their 
noon-day  meal.  The  young  women's  dining-room,  on 
the  fifth  floor,  is  a  large,  airy  room,  overlooking  the  up|>er 
Niagara  River,  and  is  equipped  with  tables  seating  eight 
each.  The  tables  are  completely  furnished  with  linen, 
silver  and  china.  The  young  women  are  given  their 
luncheons  free  of  charge,  and  take  turns  alphabetically  in 
serving.  It  takes  approximately  fifteen  minutes  to  one- 
half  hour  to  serve  the  luncheon.  The  following  is  a 
sample  menu: 


Celery  Broth  with  Rice 

Triscuits 

Braised   Sirloin   of  Beef 

Mashed  Potatoes  Sliced  Tomatoes 

Entire  Wheat  Bread  Creamery  Butter 

Jellied  Apple  Sandwich  with  Cream 

Tea 


At  the  close  of  the  luncheon,  particularly  in  stormy 
weather,  the  girls'  dining-room  is  quite  animated.  A 
grand  piano  is  located  at  one  end  of  the  room,  and  there 
are  several  players  among  the  employees.  Some  one  pre- 
sides at  the  piano,  and  the  remainder  of  the  noon  hour  is 
passed  in  singing  and  dancing.  During  the  pleasant 
weather  we  have  practically  the  facilities  of  a  park  op- 
posite the  conservatory,  where  the  employees  stroll  until" 
it  is  time  to  resume  work. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  153 

men's  dining-room. 

For  the  men's  dining-room  there  are  lunch  counters  in 
horse-shoe  shape.  The  men  eat  apart  from  the  girls,  mainly 
because  their  work  is  of  somewhat  different  nature,  and 
would  necessitate  a  change  of  clothing  if  they  dined  in  the 
same  room.  As  it  is,  the  men  can  feel  at  perfect  liberty  to 
eat  in  the  uniforms  which  they  wear  during  working 
hours. 

The  men,  at  their  own  request,  pay  ten  cents  for  their 
luncheons,  and  the  menu  is  quite  a  substantial  one.  The 
following  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  sample : 

Puree  of  Oyster  Plant 

Triscuits 

Creamed  Codfish 

Escalloped  Potatoes  Vegetarian  Baked  Beans 

Cold  Meats 

Sliced  Tomatoes 

Entire   Wheat   Bread   and   Butter 

Vanilla  Ice  Cream 

.  Apple  Pie 

Tea 

In  case  any  of  the  men  do  not  wish  the  regular  lunch- 
eon at  ten  cents,  and  prefer  to  bring  part  of  their  own 
luncheon,  they  may  purchase  any  desired  articles  from  a 
bill  of  extras.    These  articles  are  listed  as  follows : 

Soup,  Bread,  Butter,  and  Tea ,  .$0  04 

Mock  Turtle  Soup  ( i  pint)   09 

Regular  Menu  Soup 01 

Boiled  Eggs  (2) 04 

Cold  Boiled  Ham  (per  order) 05 

Baked  Beans  and  Tomato  Sauce  (per  order) 05 


154  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

Veal  Loaf 12 

Potted  Ham  ( i  can) 05 

Cheese  (per  order)   04 

Salmon  (i  can)    13 

Sardines  (i  can) 05 

Pickles   (per  order)    02 

Olives    04 

Stewed  Corn  ( i  can) 09 

Stewed  Peas  ( i  can)   09 

Apples  (per  order)   Oi 

Maple  Syrup  (per  order)   03 

Peach  Preserve  (per  order)   04 

Cherry  Preserve  (per  order)  04 

Shredded  Wheat  with  Cream  (1-3  pint)  06 

Milk    (per  glass)    01 

The  culinary  department  is  under  a  competent  chef, 
who  tests  all  supplies.  The  use  of  pork  products,  white 
flour  and  yeast  is  dispensed  with.  We  serve  approximately 
four  hundred  meals  each  noon.  The  milk  used  is  Pas- 
teurized, the  water  all  doubly  sterilized. 

For  serving  the  men  we  utilize  the  services  of  our  col- 
ored janitors  during  the  noon  hour,  paying  them  for  extra 
time  and  also  giving  them  their  luncheons  free  for  this 
service. 


READING-ROOM. 

Adjoining  the  men's  dining-room  is  a  reading-room. 
This  is  equipped  entirely  for  the  comfort  and  convenience 
of  the  men.  Tables  and  easy  chairs  are  provided,  and  the 
leading  magazines  and  daily  newspapers  are  on  file. 
Games,  such  as  dominoes  and  checkers,  may  also  be 
played.    Writing  material  is  at  hand. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  155 

CIRCULATING  LIBRARY. 

The  advertising  department  of  the  company  receives 
many  periodicals  and  newspapers.  These  are  accessible 
any  day  between  half-past  twelve  o'clock  and  one.  This 
privilege  makes  available  to  all  employees  the  best  period- 
ical literature,  and  is  much  used. 

The  company  has  just  established  a  branch  of  the 
Tabard  Inn  Library. 

BATHS. 

The  bathing  facilities  of  the  conservatory  are  probably 
equaled  by  few  hotels  in  the  country.  There  are  four- 
teen rooms  devoted  to  baths,  each  room  being  finished 
in  Italian  marble  and  mosaic.  The  men's  rooms  are 
equipped  with  shower  and  Qe'edle  baths  and  the  girls' 
rooms  with  individual  bathtubs  and  ring  showers.  (These 
enable  them  to  keep  the  hair  dry.) 

The  employees  are  allowed  ample  time  each  week  for 
the  use  of  these  baths.    Soap  and  towels  are  free. 

This  feature  of  our  work  has  been  very  successful. 
There  is  no  inclination  on  the  part  of  the  company  to 
force  it  upon  the  employees.  Its  use  is  entirely  at  their 
own  discretion,  and  all  that  is  necessary  is  for  them  to  ask 
permission  of  the  forewoman  or  foreman,  so  that  others 
may  be  assigned  to  their  places  in  order  that  the  work 
may  not  be  interrupted.  The  time  used  for  this  purpose 
averages  about  one  hour  per  week  per  persoii.  (Our  em- 
ployees are  all  paid  by  the  day.    We  have  no  piece  work.) 

Necessary  lavatory  and  toilet  facilities  are  also  provided. 


156  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

LOCKERS. 

Every  employee  is  provided  with  a  locker  for  outdoor 
garments.  The  lockers  are  of  the  familiar  expanded 
metal  type,  thus  giving  the  maximum  ventilation  and 
hygienic  conditions.  The  locker  rooms  adjoin  in  all  in- 
stances the  bath  and  toilet  rooms. 

7  'Each  employee  has  his  own  key,  for  which  a  deposit 
of  25  cents  is  made,  this  amount  being  refunded  when  key 
is  returned. 

BICYCLE   RACKS. 

-  On  the  first  floor  of  the  conservatory  are  racks  for  the 
temporary  storage  of  employees'  bicycles,  which  are  much 
used  during  the  summer  months. 

The  men's  racks  are  on  one  side  of  the  entrance  and 
the  girls'  on  the  other. 

The  girls'  wheels  are  taken  care  of  by  the  janitors,  who 
bring  the  wheels  in  from  out  of  doors  after  the  girls  reach 
the  building  in  the  morning,  and  take  them  out  for  them 
in  the  evening. 

THE    FACTORY    ENVIRONMENT. 

The  lawns  are  kept  in  perfect  condition,  and  the  corners 
of  the  conservatory  are  planted  with  shrubbery  in  order 
to  relieve  the  monotony  and  add  a  little  touch  of  color. 

The  foyer  is  supplied  with  large  palms,  while  the  girls' 
dining-room  is  brightened  with  large  bay  trees  and  win- 
dow boxes,  and  in  season  flowers  adorn  the  individual 
tables. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  157 

AUDITORIUM. 

On  the  fourth  floor  of  the  administration  building  is 
an  auditorium  with  a  seating  capacity  of  1080.  The  use 
of  this  auditorium  is  given  to  the  employees  for  any  con- 
certs, lectures,  or  entertainments  they  may  arrange  for 
the  benefit  of  their  organizations. 

REST    PERIODS. 

In  the  manufacturing  section,  the  girls  are  allowed  fif- 
teen minutes  every  morning  and  afternoon  for  rest  and 
recreation. 

The  girls  in  the  factory  division  also  come  to  work  five 
minutes  later  than  the  men  and  stop  five  minutes  earlier, 
thus  giving  them  in  all  forty  minutes  a  day  less  than 
schedule  time,  they  receiving  pay,  however,  for  full  time. 

REST  ROOM. 

Just  off  the  foyer  there  is  a  rest  or  lounging  room  for 
the  women.  This  is  also  available  in  case  of  sickness  or 
accident. 

The  company  has  a  competent  physician,  so  that  prompt 
attention  can  be  given  to  cases  of  accident  or  illness. 

SUGGESTION  BOX. 

There  is  a  suggestion  box  in  the  offices  of  the  company 
.in  which  suggestions  for  the  betterment  of  the  company's 
.work  may  be  deposUed.    Cash  prizes  are  offered  quarterly 
for-jthe  best  suggestions  made; 


158  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

COOKING  SCHOOL. 

One  of  the  latest  additions  to  our  work  is  the  estabHsh- 
ment  of  a  complete  course  in  cookery,  which  is  open  not 
only  to  the  employees  of  the  company,  but  also  to  the 
citizens  of  Niagara  Falls.  The  course  is  a  very  complete 
one,  and  comprehends  all  phases  of  cookery. 

CAPS  AND  APRONS. 

The  girls  in  the  manufacturing  section  are  furnished, 
free,  with  caps,  aprons,  and  sleeves.  These  are  used  dur- 
ing the  working  hours,  and  are  laundered  by  the  company. 

FOOT   AND  BACK   RESTS   ON    CHAIRS. 

The  chairs  used  by  the  girls  of  the  manufacturing  sec- 
tion are  of  as  comfortable  design  as  can  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  work.  They  are  all  provided  with  backs 
and  foot  rests. 

DRINKING   WATER. 

The  drinking  water,  which  is  supplied  to  all  floors,  is 
first  sterilized,  then  filtered,  and  again  sterilized,  so  as  to 
render  it  as  pure  as  possible.  Drinking  glasses  are  fur- 
nished. 

FIRE   PROTECTION    AND   DRILLS. 

The  building  is  constructed  as  nearly  fireproof  as  pos- 
sible. In  the  manufacturing  section  it  is  of  mill  construc- 
tion.   The  walls  are  all  of  brick  covered  with  three  coats 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  159 

of  plaster  and  two  of  cement  and  painted  with  white 
enamel. 

The  floor  consists  of  4  inch  Georgia  pine  covered  with 
y^  inch  Salamander  fireproofing  and  then  ^  inch  hard 
maple. 

The  building  is  equipped  with  sprinkler  system  and  has 
a  number  of  stand  pipes  with  hose  connections.  The  stand 
pipes  are  kept  supplied  by  a  1,000  gallon  per  minute 
Worthington  fire  pump  always  under  steam. 

Fire  drills  are  held  the  third  Saturday  of  each  month. 

employees'  organizations. 

There  are  several  organizations  among  the  employees. 

The  International  Sunshine  Society  is  in  quite  a  flour- 
ishing condition.  The  work  is  maintained  entirely  by  the 
employees,  the  company  exercising  no  voice  in  the  man- 
agement. 

The  company  helps  to  maintain  a  relief  association 
among  its  employees  for  the  payment  of  sickness,  accident, 
and  funeral  benefits.  The  entire  administration  of  this 
is  in  the  hands  of  the  employees,  except  that  dues  are  col- 
lected by  the  firm  every  second  week  by  deduction  from 
the  members'  wages  (membership  being  entirely  volun- 
tary), under  an  agreement  therefor  between  the  company 
and  the  association,  all  such  dues  being  turned  over  to  the 
latter's  treasurer.  The  firm,  however,  contributes  to  the 
fund  every  second  week  a  sum  equal  to  the  aggregate 
amount  of  deductions  from  the  members'  wages,  in  other 
words,  bears  one-half  the  support  of  the  fund.  Dues  of 
members  are  five  or  ten  cents  every  other  week,  those  with 
a  wage  of  less  than  $6.50  a  week  paying  five,  the  others, 


No.  Description. 

49 — One  of  the  seats  provided  for  the  women  packers  in 
a  factory. 

50 — Seat  on  rollers,  fitted  into  grooved  rail,  enabling  the 
operative  to  pass  readily  from  one  machine  to  an- 
other, thus  operating  seven  machines. 

51 — Women  in  a  large  plant,  seated  at  work. 


160 


or  THE   ^ 

"cRSfTY 

OF 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  i6i 

ten  cents.  Special  assessments  may  be  levied  by  the  board 
of  directors  to  meet  contingencies  of  excessive  sickness  or 
death,  but  such  may  not  exceed  twenty-five  cents  or  fifty 
cents  per  member,  according  to  dues  paid,  and  may  not  be 
levied  more  than  twice  a  year,  except  by  two-thirds  vote 
of  the  members  of  the  association.  Sick  and  accident 
benefits  amounting  to  $3.00  or  $6.00  per  week,  according 
to  class  of  dues  paid,  are  allowed  for  a  period  not  exceed- 
ing thirteen  weeks,  beginning  after  one  week's  disability. 
Funeral  benefits  amount  to  $37.50  or  $75.00,  according  to 
dues  paid. 

The  baseball  club  is  merely  an  athletic  association  in 
effect  during  the  spring  and  summer,  and  is  composed  en- 
tirely of  employees  of  the  company,  who  manage  the 
finances  and  other  details  in  their  own  way.  They  ar- 
ranged entertainments  last  season  for  the  purpose  of  rais- 
ing funds  for  the  purchasing  of  uniforms  and  outfit  and 
of  covering  the  expenses  in  connection  with  the  club.  A 
complete  schedule  of  games  was  arranged,  and  they  were 
very  successful  in  their  efforts. 

The  band  is  a  musical  organization  consisting  of  thirty 
pieces.  All  employees  of  the  company  who  can  play  any 
band  instrument  are  eligible  to  membership,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  number  of  players  in  the  city  are  included  in 
the  organization.  The  band  is  under  the  charge  of  a  com- 
petent leader,  who  was  formerly  in  charge  of  the  regi- 
mental band  of  this  city.  Rehearsals  are  held  once  a 
week,  and  a  number  of  engagements  are  secured.  It  is 
really  a  very  creditable  organization.  Uniforms  are  pro- 
vided, and  the  company  donates  a  certain  sum  each  year 
for  the  maintenance  of  this  organization. 

The  Riverside  Tennis  Club  is  an  organization  composed 


ilSa  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

entirely  of  men  in  the  employ  of  the  company.  Suitable 
grounds  are  rented  in  close  proximity  to  the  building,  and 
are  equipped  with  two  double  tennis  courts.  The  expense 
for  maintenance  is  covered  entirely  by  the  members  them- 
selves, and  the  courts  are  available  at  any  time  to  the 
members  or  their  guests. 

The  Foremen's  Club  is  composed  of  the  foremen  of  the 
different  departments.  Subjects  which  pertain  to  the  busi- 
ness of  the  company  are  discussed  at  the  meetings,  and 
entertainments  are  arranged  by  a  committee  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  management  of  the  organization  is  entirely 
under  the  employees,  who  are  members. 

ADDRESSES   TO  EMPLOYEES. 

From  time  to  time  we  are  favored  with  the  presence  of 
distinguished  people  at  Niagara  Falls,  and  wherever  the 
opportunity  permits  we  have  them  make  addresses  to  the 
employees.  These  addresses  usually  take  place  during 
the  luncheon  hour. 

WAGES. 

In  all  cases  where  welfare  work  is  considered,  one 
question  which  arises  in  the  mind  of  the  visitor  or  in- 
vestigator is,  How  is  the  wage  question  affected  by  the 
welfare  work  which  is  being  conducted? 

We  might  state  that  in  the  case  of  the  work  done  at  the 
Natural  Food  Conservatory  the  wage  question  does  not 
in  any  way  enter  into  or  affect  the  workings  of  the  wel- 
fare work. 

The  general  rate  of  wage  is  somewhat  in  excess  of  the 
fiverage  wage  in  other  plants  of  this  city  and  vicinity. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  163 

We  have,  approximately,  five  hundred  employees  on  the 
pay-roll,  one  hundred  and  fifty  being  women.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  employees  belong  to  the  trades  unions. 


HOURS  OF  LABOR. 

The  regulation  lo-hour  day  is  in  effect,  one  hour  being 
allowed  for  luncheon  at  noon.  An  exception  to  this  is 
made  in  the  case  of  the  girls,  as  stated  previously. 

The  Chairman  :  Will  Miss  Anna  B.  Doughten  speak 
of  her  work  as  welfare  manager  for  the  Curtis  Publish- 
ing Company? 

Miss  Doughten  :  We  have  not  long  been  engaged  in 
welfare  work,  considered  as  such.  The  employees  have 
always  been  treated  with  consideration,  and  for  a  good 
many  years  the  company  provided  a  room  where  the 
women  employees  could  eat  their  cold  lunches,  and  where 
tea,  coffee,  and  milk  were  served  without  charge.  A  few 
years  ago  a  Savings  Fund  was  started,  and  last  fall  the 
present  lunch  room  for  the  women  employees,  a  striking 
contrast  to  the  old  unattractive  one,  was  opened ;  and  an 
attractive  rest  room  and  a  reading  room  were  provided. 

Especial  emphasis  is  being  laid  upon  one  aspect  of  this 
work,  and  it  is  an  aspect  which,  it  seems,  usually  does 
not  receive  enough  attention,  namely,  luncheon  or  other 
rooms  provided  for  the  use  of  the  employees  should  not 
only  be  comfortable,  clean,  and  convenient,  but,  without 
being  elaborate,  also  as  attractive,  artistic,  and  home- 
like as  possible.  This  requires  more  thought,  but  not 
more  expense,  and  it  is  important  for  the  indirect,  quiet 


No.  Description. 

2y — Lunch  room  in  foundry  for  the  women  core-workers. 
Employees  never  tire  of  good  music  at  noon.  It 
contributes  materially  to  the  success  of  a  lunch  room. 
Adjacent  to  another  lunch  room  in  a  section  of  this 
manufacturing  plant  a  ^arge  recreation  room,  with 
a  good  floor,  has  been  provided  for  the  women,  who 
always  respond  to  the  music  by  dancing,  although 
the  work  is  very  arduous.  The  men  are  not  allowed 
to  share  this  pleasure,  except  at  evening  dancing 
parties. 

2!^ — Lunch  room  for  women  in  a  large  publishing  house. 
Small  tables  are  found  to  be  advantageous,  as  they 
allow  congenial  ones  to  group  together. 


164 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  165 

influence  of  such  surroundings  often  is  stronger,  farther 
reaching,  and  more  lasting  than  any  attempt  at  direct  in- 
fluence. The  lunch  room,  so  far,  has  been  the  main 
feature,  and  the  future  alone  will  show  what  more  may 
be  done  for  the  employees.  A  box  for  suggestions  and 
complaints  has  been  placed  in  the  lunch  room,  and  once 
a  month  an  advisory  committee  meets  with  the  welfare 
manager,  considers  these  suggestions  and  complaints, 
hears  the  monthly  statement  of  the  lunch  room  expenses, 
and  recommends  certain  improvements  and  changes  to  the 
welfare  manager,  or,  through  her,  to  the  general  manager 
of  the  company.  There  are  many  possibilities  in  this  ad- 
visory committee,  if  its  decisions  shall  show  judgment 
and  reason.  The  subject  of  a  Mutual  Benefit  Society  is 
receiving  consideration,  and,  if  a  sufficient  number  of 
employees  signify  their  desire  for  such  an  organization, 
it  will  probably  be  formed.  It  is  considered  important 
that  work  along  this  line  shall  be  gradual,  and  that  nothing 
shall  be  done  for  the  employees  until  they  are  ready  to 
welcome  it. 

THE    SAVINGS    FUND    SOCIETY. 

As  yet  nothing  has  been  done  for  the  men  employees 
except  to  admit  them  to  the  Savings  Fund  Society. 

The  Savings  Fund  Society  was  organized  several  years 
ago  to  encourage  thrift  and  the  habit  of  saving.  The 
sum  of  twenty-five  cents  per  week  is  paid  into  the  fund 
for  each  share  and  no  person  can  hold  more  than  twenty 
shares,  making  twenty-five  cents  the  smallest  amount 
per  week  and  five  dollars  the  largest  amount  per  week 
that  will  be  received.    Each  series  begins  on  September  i 


1 66  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

and  ends  on  August  31,  when  a  new  series  is  immediately 
opened.  An  opportunity  for  a  permanent  investment  of 
the  money  will  then  be  offered  by  the  firm.  Six  per  cent, 
is  guaranteed  on  the  savings,  and  last  year  the  company 
donated  to  the  Savings  Fund  the  fines  for  lateness  during 
the  year,  amounting  to  about  $450,  making  the  interest 
that  year  eleven  per  cent.  Withdrawal  from  the  Society 
before  the  end  of  the  year  forfeits  all  interest.  At  any 
time  loans  will  be  made  for  a  period  of  not  less  than  a 
month,  and  for  a  sum  not  exceeding  nine-tenths  of  the 
amount  paid  in,  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent,  per  annum. 
A  charge  of  ten  cents  is  made  for  each  loan.  We  con- 
sider that  this  Savings  Fund  Society  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful. 

APPRECIATION  ON   PART  OF  EMPLOYEES. 

We  recognize  that  welfare  work  should  not  be  done 
with  the  idea  of  appreciation  from  the  employees.  It  will 
be  appreciated,  whether  or  not  any  outward  sign  is  given, 
but  the  main  motive  should  be  justice  and  common  hu- 
manity. So  often  employers  will  say  that  they  have  tried 
such  and  such  a  thing,  and  that  at  first  the  employees 
appreciated  it,  but  after  a  little  they  began  to  take  it  as  a 
matter  of  course  and  their  right,  so  it  was  discontinued. 
Employees  are  but  human,  and  that  is  the  usual  result 
of  habit.  We  do  not  stop  to  be  thankful  every  day  for  the 
air  we  breathe. 

SHOULD   NOT   BE   USED   FOR   ADVERTISING   PURPOSES. 

A  point  which  we  are  careful  to  recognize  is  that  this 
welfare  work  should  not  be  used  as  a  mode  of  advertise- 
ment.    That  willlower  the  work  and  interfere  with  its 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK.  167 

true  usefulness.  In  conferences  and  discussions  to 
further  this  kind  of  work,  the  subject  should  be  considered 
along  broad  and  general  lines,  individual  cases  being  cited 
as  illustrations,  but  no  firm  should  seize  the  opportunity 
presented  to  advertise  its  own  philanthropy  and  liberality. 

The  Chairman  :  May  we  hear  from  Mrs.  M.  Louise 
Hynson,  another  active  worker  in  this  field? 

Mrs.  Hynson  :  My  special  work  for  the  John  Wana- 
maker  Philadelphia  store  has  been  the  supervision  for 
the  past  year  of  a  luncheon  room  for  the  men  and  women, 
where  a  fifteen  cent  dinner  was  served  to  the  men  and  an 
equally  reasonable  lunch  to  about  fifteen  hundred  women 
and  girls  daily. 

A  beautiful  work  is  done  by  others  who  have  charge 
of  educational  classes  for  the  boys  and  girls,  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  woman's  league.  A  member  of  the  firm  as- 
sured me  recently  that  the  desire  is  keen  to  have  the  new 
store  now  in  process  of  erection  equipped  in  the  best 
possible  manner  for  the  comfort  and  betterment  of  their 
employees.  I  recommend  that  there  be  sent  from  the 
welfare  department  of  the  National  Civic  Federation  its 
most  able  man  or  woman  to  meet  the  firm  of  Wana- 
makers,  th^t  they  may  see  the  great  field  open  to  them 
which  would  make  them  leaders  in  the  work. 

The  Chairman  :  Mr.  N.  W.  Cease  will,  I  hope,  speak 
of  his  work  in  the  different  plants  of  the  American  Loco- 
motive Company. 

Mr.  Cease:  I  deeply  appreciate  the  privilege  granted 
me  to-day  to  appear  before  this  meeting  of  the  great 
Civic  Federation  known  as  "  The  Conference  of  Social 


No.  Description. 

II — Men's  locker  room  in  a  large  plant — the  new  way. 
Throughout  this  plant  the  men's  toilet  and  dressing-- 
rooms  are  built  as  outside  connected  additions  to  the 
workrooms. 

12 — The  old  way  of  caring  for  the  men's  clothing  in  the 
dust  and  dirt  of  a  blacksmith  shop. 


68 


CONFERENVE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  169 

Secretaries."  What  body  of  men  and  women  could  band 
themselves  together  for  a  nobler  and  grander  cause  than 
the  elevation  of  the  toiling  masses? 

The  Civic  Federation  is  a  grand  organization  for  the 
advancement  and  elevation  of  the  workingmen.  Its  in- 
fluence is  far  reaching,  and  its  motives  will  ever  redound 
to  the  credit  of  the  kings  of  industry  and  be  an  everlasting 
inheritance  to  the  future  generations  of  the  army  of  toilers 
in  this  country. 

Truthfully  and  proudly  can  I  say  here  to-day  that  the 
great  corporation  I  have  the  honor  of  representing  has 
spent,  and  is  yet  spending,  thousands  of  dollars  for  the 
comfort  and  benefit  of  its  employees.  This  corporation 
has  within  its  plants  lunch  rooms  that  place  before  its 
employees  a  meal  at  unheard  of  prices.  For  instance, 
kindly  follow  me :  The  employee  can  get  a  bowl  of  good, 
rich,  nutritious  soup,  with  bread  included,  for  the  small 
sum  of  three  cents.  All  vegetables  in  season  are  served 
with  bread  for  three  cents.  Among  the  different  kinds  of 
meat  that  he  can  purchase  for  three  cents  are :  roast  beef, 
roast  pork,  roast  veal,  lamb  chops,  Hamburg  steak,  cod- 
fish cakes,  sausages,  etc.  Sandwiches  of  all  kinds  are 
served  for  three  cents,  such  as  ham,  cheese,  egg,  and 
chicken.  Remember,  bread  is  served  with  every  order. 
Pies,  puddings,  cakes,  and  custards  are  only  three  cents ; 
coffee  with  whipped  cream  and  sugar,  three  cents ;  milk, 
lemonade,  and  chocolate,  three  cents.  Fruit  is  also  sold 
at  very  low  prices.  In  fact,  everything  in  the  eating  line 
is  to  be  had. 

The  employees  are  attentively  waited  on,  and  treated 
with  the  utmost  consideration.  You  can  readily  see  that 
these  prices  place  before  them  a  meal  cheaper  than  they 


I70  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

could  possibly  purchase  the  raw  material  for,  besides  the 
wholesome  benefit  it  is  to  the  men  to  be  able  to  get  some- 
thing warm  any  time  during  the  day  that  they  feel  the  need 
of  food.  Another  one  of  its  most  striking  and  helpful  fea- 
tures is  its  direct  benefit  to  the  wives  of  these  men,  that 
they  are  no  longer  required  to  prepare  cold  lunches  and 
baffle  with  a  tin  pail  problem,  a  task,  I  assure  you,  they 
most  cheerfully  surrender. 

We  opened  the  first  lunch  room  in  Richmond,  Va., 
in  1903,  and  to-day  we  have  them  in  Schenectady,  New 
York,  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.,  and  Montreal,  Canada,  and  will, 
eventually  install  them  in  several  more  of  the  plants. 

The  company  is  sparing  neither  time  nor  money  in 
surrounding  their  men  with  homelike  requirements,  and 
granting  them  privileges  that  would  have  seemed  a  few 
years  back  an  impossibility,  and  still  maintain  that  dis- 
cipline and  system  so  essential  and  necessary  in  the  con- 
duct of  large  industries. 

It  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  be  associated  personally 
with  its  benevolently-disposed  and  thoughtful  officials. 
Like  one  large  heart  beating  for  the  welfare  and  ad- 
vancement of  the  thousands  of  employees,  they  have  es- 
tablished a  precedent  worthy  of  emulation. 

The  three  cent  lunch  system,  which  bears  my  name,  is 
self  sustaining,  and  is  growing  year  by  year.  I  feel  con- 
fident that  our  success  is  based  on  attention,  cleanliness, 
quality,  quantity,  civility,  and  system. 

Thanking  you  all  for  your  kind  attention,  I  will  conclude 
by  saying  that  we  are  ready  to  help  any  one  who  is  con- 
sidering this  good  work,  and  that  I  have  copies  of  a 
sample  bill  of  fare  which  I  shall  be  glad  to  hand  those  who 
may  desire  them. 


CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK.  171 

Notice  and  sample  menu  issued  in  installing  lunch 
counters : 

Cease^s    Industral    Lunch   System 

J  Cents 

Open  at    All    Hours 

From  6  to  II   A.   M.  and  from   12  to  7   P.   M. 

American  Locomotive  Works  Branch 

Dunkirk,   N.   Y. 

To  the  Employees  of  the  American  Locomotive  Works. 

Gentlemen  :  We  are  now  ready  to  serve  you,  with  neatness 
and  dispatch,  a  Lunch  or  Meal  at  unheard  of  prices.  You  can. 
get  a  meal  here  cheaper  than  you  could  buy  the  raw  material,  and 
at  the  same  time  get  a  variety  to  choose  from  which  you  could 
not  get  outside  of  a  hotel. 

One  of  the  good  features  of  our  system  is  that  you  only  pay 
for  what  you  order — that  is,  if  at  the  dinner  time  you  only  cared 
for  a  plate  of  soup  and  a  cup  of  coffee,  it  would  only  cost  you  6 
cents.  You  can  order  anything  you  wish  and  get  the  same  atten- 
tion should  your  order  amount  to  two  cents  or  twenty  cents. 

We  issue  Lunch  Books  containing  one  hundred  (icx))  tickets 
for  one  dollar,  or  you  can  get  one  of  these  books  by  bringing  an 
order  from  your  Foreman  or  Contractor  when  it  is  not  con- 
venient to  pay  cash.  These  orders  are  gotten  up  for  this  special 
purpose  and  will  be  distributed  among  the  Foremen  and  Con- 
tractors. 

Everything  we  use  is  strictly  first  class  and  served  with  neatness 
and  dispatch.  Our  Chef  and  his  assistants  rank  with  the  best. 
Our  waitresses  are  neat  and  courteous. 

You  are  requested  to  treat  the  ladies  with  respect  and  conduct 
yourselves  as  gentlemen.  Any  one  guilty  of  disorderly  conduct 
will  be  reported. 

Any  suggestions  will  be  appreciated.  Thanking  you  in  advance 
for  patronage,  we  remain. 

Yours  very  truly, 
AMERICAN  LOCOMOTIVE  WORKS  LUNCH  ROOM, 
W.   M.   CEASE,   Proprietor. 


172 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK. 


FIGURE  OUT  WHAT  A  MEAL  WOULD 
COST   YOU. 

DINNER. 


Chowders    3c 

Vegetable  Soup  3c 

Vermicelli    Soup   3c 

Split  Pea  Soup  3c 

Tomato  Soup  3c 

Queen  Olives   3c 

Lamb  and  Beef  Stews 3c 

Roast      Pork     and     Apple 

Sauce    3c 

'Roast  Prime  Beef  and  Dish 

Gravy   3c 

Spring     Lamb     and     Mint 

Sauce    3c 

Cold  Ham  : .  3c 

Pickled  Pigs'  Feet 3c 

Mutton    3c 

Mashed   Potatoes    3c 

Sweet  Potatoes   3c 

Turnips    3c 

Peas    3c 

Corn   3c 


Salads    3c 

Tomatoes    3c 

Boiled  Onions    3c 

Beets    3c 

Boiled  Cabbage   3c 

Pies  (all  kinds)  per  Slice..  3c 

Custards    3c 

Plum    Pudding    with    Hard 

Sauce    3c 

Jellies   3c 

Cakes    3c 

Domestic  Cheese  3c 

Swiss  Cheese 3c 

Fruit   I   and  2c 

Coffee  3c 

Milk    3c 

Horseradish    \ 

Pepper  Sauce   f 

Worcestershire  Sauce.  .    /  Free 

Table   Sauce   l 

Catsup / 


BREAKFAST   AND    SUPPER. 


Fruit  in  Season 3c 

Coffee  3c 

Milk    3c 

Tea    3c 

Chocolate    3c 

Oatmeal   3c 

Force    3c 

Shredded  Wheat  Biscuit  ...  3c 

Codfish  Balls   3c 

EGGS   (one). 

Boiled    3c 

Scrambled   3c 

Fried,  3c ;  Poached  on  Toast  3c 

Boston  Baked  Beans  3c 

Potato  Salad   3c 


SANDWICHES. 

Ham    3c 

Chicken    3c 

Domestic  Cheese 3c 

Swiss  Cheese  3c 

Egg  3c 

Oyster    3c 

Small      Steak,      Potatoes. 

Bread  and  Butter loc 

Sugar  Cured  Ham  3c 

Chops 3c 

Liver  and  Onions 36 

Hamburg  Steak    3c 


CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK.  173 

BREAKFAST  AND  SUPPER. 

(Continued.) 

Bacon   3c  bread. 

Fried  Oysters,  two  for   ...  3c  Pullman      Loaf,      Boston 
Hot  Frankfurters,  two  for.  3c  Brown,  Rye. 

Porterhouse  Steak  15c  Corn  Cakes 3c 

Sirloin  Steak   15c  Buckwheat  Cakes  3c 

POTATOES  Syrup  and  Butter 3c 

French  Fried  3c  Buttered  Toast   3c 

Hashed  Brown 3c  Waffles 3c 

Baked    3c  ^  Bread  or  Rolls  with  Butter  3c 

Soap,  Pepsin  Gum,  Tobacco  and  Cigars  at  Low  Prices. 

The  above  bill  of  fare  includes  Bread  with  all  Meats,  Chowders, 
Soups,  and  Stews;  Whipped  Cream  and  Loaf  Sugar  with  Coflfee, 
Tea,  or  Chocolate. 

•  A  few  things  we  use — The  best  Mocha  and  Java  Coffee,  Huyler's 
Chocolate,  highest  grade  of  Tea,  Loaf  Sugar,  the  richest  of  Cream, 
the  choicest  of  Meats. 

Any  inattention  or  uncivil  remarks  of  Waitresses  reported  to 
Manager  will  be  appreciated. 

CLOSING    REMARKS. 

Mr.  Vreeland:  As  I  have  said,  this  was  intended  to 
be  a  sort  of  experience  meeting  for  the  mutual  benefit 
and  instruction  of  those  participating.  The  proceedings 
will  be  printed,  and  copies  sent  to  those  present  and  the 
interests  they  represent.  We  would  ask  that  you  formu- 
late such  questions  as  you  care  to  ask  of  each  other,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  suggestions  of  Mr.  Krumbhaar,  and 
forward  them  to  the  secretary,  who  will  have  them  tabu- 
lated, secure  replies  for  your  benefit,  and  also  utilize  the 
information  in  planning  for  our  next  meeting,  when  the 
vi:al  questions  involved  in  maintaining  and  installing  wel- 
fare work  will  be  discussed.  ^ 


174  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

Miss  Beeks  ^yill  be  at  her  office,  in  the  rooms  of  the 
National  Civic  Federation,  No.  281  Fourth  Avenue,  to- 
morrow morning  from  ten  to  twelve,  and  she  will  be 
glad  to  see  any  of  the  visiting  or  local  secretaries 
who  may  care  to  visit  our  headquarters. 

On  behalf  of  the  Welfare  Department  of  the  National 
Civic  Federation,  I  desire  to  thank  you  for  the  coopera- 
tion with  us  in  this  movement  expressed  by  your  presence 
and  participation  here  to-day. 

Upon  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 


APPENDIX 

WELFARE  WORK  OF  THE  WESTINGHOUSE 
ELECTRIC  AND  MANUFACTURING  COM- 
PANY, OUTLINED  BY  L.  A.  OSBORNE,  VICE- 
PRESIDENT. 

'npHE  main  works  are  located  at  East  Pittsburg,  a  sta- 
"■-  tion  on  the  main  line  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad, 
about  thirteen  miles  east  of  Pitlsburg,  Pa.,  and  cover,  ap- 
proximately, forty  acres.  The  buildings  are  two  stories 
high,  constructed  of  brick  and  steel.  The  style  of  archi- 
tecture is  particularly  well  suited  to  the  character  of  the 
products  manufactured,  as  well  as  for  any  future  exten- 
sions ;  and  considerable  attention  has  been  devoted  to  the 
welfare  and  comfort  of  the  employees.  The  location  is 
convenient  and  easily  accessible  to  residents  of  Pittsburg 
and  vicinity. 

A  modern  office  building,  six  stories  in  height,  is 
located  at  the  west  end  of  the  works.  High  speed  hy- 
draulic elevators  are  in  service.  The  building  is  heated 
by  steam,  lighted  by  Cooper-Hewitt  and  Nernst  lamps, 
and  ventilated  by  an  exhaust  ventilating  system.  The 
sixth  floor  contains  a  kitchen  and  dining-rooms  for  the 
officials  and  heads  of  departments ;  also  a  dining-room 
for  the  women  office  employees,  where  they  are  served 
with  a  substantial  luncheon  at  a  nominal  cost.  A  com- 
fortable rest  room  is  also  provided. 

The  floor  area  of  the  works  used  for  manufacturing 

175 


No.  Description. 

9 — One  of  the  men*s  wash-rooms  in  a  large  shop.  The 
individual  bowls  are  an  improvement  on  the  trough 
system,  which  does  not  enable  the  men  to  have  clean 
water.    Hot  water,  soap,  and  towels  are  provided. 

io — An  individual  wash-room  especially  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  thfe  men  in  a  foundry.  A  complete  bath  may 
be  taken.  Such  wash-rooms  are  arranged  along  the 
wall  of  the  men's  dressing-room,  and  the  lockers  are 
in  the  center. 


176 


APPENDIX.  177 

purposes  comprises,  approximately,  one  million  eight 
hundred  thousand  square  feet.  Natural  illumination  for 
this  area  is  obtained  by  means  of  skylights  and  side  win- 
dows, the  total  area  of  the  former  being  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  square  feet  and  the  latter  two  hundred 
and  twelve  thousand  square  feet. 

Artificial  illumination  in  the  works  is  obtained  through 
the  use  of  the  Bremer  arc,  incandescent  and  Nernst  lamps, 
which  are  sufficiently  numerous  and  carefully  placed  to 
give  an  even  diffusion  and  a  minimum  of  fatigue  to  the 
eyes  of  the  operatives.  The  interior  of  the  buildings  is 
finished  in  white.  The  force  of  painters  constantly  em- 
ployed upon  this  work  is  sufficient  to  give  the  surfaces 
two  coats  of  paint  each  year. 

The  buildings  are  heated  by  hot  air,  drawn  from 
apertures  in  the  roof  through  coils  of  steam  pipe.  The 
heated  air  circulated  throughout  the  works  maintains 
a  temperature  of  about  70°  F.  The  fans  are  kept  in  ser- 
vice during  the  hot  days  of  summer  for  air  circulation. 
The  general  ventilation  is  further  assisted  by  means  of 
adjustable  side  and  roof  windows,  controlled  from  the 
ground  floor. 

Fifty  lavatories  for  use  of  the  men  are  situated  at  con- 
venient points  on  the  mezzanine  floor,  suspended  between 
the  ground  and  second  floors,  and  easily  accessible  to 
persons  employed  on  either  floor.  These  lavatories  are 
fitted  with  automatic  flush  closets  and  individual  white 
porcelain  wash  bowls,  and  are  connected  with  the  hot 
and  cold  water  system.  There  are  one  thousand  of  them 
distributed  among  the  various  lavatories.  Adjacent  to 
each  lavatory  is  located  a  coat  room;  racks  of  expanded 
metal  with  a  sufficient  number  of  hooks  give  a  place  to 


No.  Description. 

13 — System  of  shower  baths  in  a  foundry.  Habitually 
used  by  the  men.  The  only  trouble  usually  met  is 
the  difficulty  to  provide  a  sufficient  number  of  the 
baths.  The  continued  presence  of  an  attendant  in- 
sures cleanliness,  which  experience  has  shown  nec- 
essary to  secure  the  utilization  of  such  conveniences. 

14 — A  shop  drinking-fountain,  easily  accessible  and  fur- 
nishing pure  water  at  a  healthful  temperature. 


178 


APPENDIX.  179 

each  man.  This  method  affords  a  close  and  careful  in- 
spection at  all  times.  Each  lavatory  and  coat  room  is  in 
charge  of  a  janitor,  whose  duties  are  confined  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  lavatory,  and  as  the  whole  service  is  under 
a  corps  of  inspectors,  it  insures  perfect  sanitary  condi- 
tions. Soap  and  towels  are  furnished  free  by  the  com- 
pany; the  towels  are  changed  daily. 

Each  lavatory  for  the  women  employees  is  in  charge  of 
a  matron.  The  apartments  are  supplied  with  gas  stoves, 
which  are  used  by  the  matron  in  making  tea  and  coffee 
for  the  women.  The  materials  are  furnished  by  the  em- 
ployees. 

Drinking  water  is  obtained  by  means  of  twelve  driven 
wells.  The  water  is  pumped  into  felt  covered  feed  pipes, 
with  outlets  at  founts  fastened  to  the  steel  columns  of  the 
buildings.  These  founts  are  about  fifty  feet  apart,  and  are 
distributed  throughout  the  works.  The  water  is  delivered 
from  the  wells  at  a  temperature  of  about  55°  F.,  and  is 
kept  in  constant  circulation.  The  water  is  of  extraor- 
dinary purity,  and  is  subjected  to  a  monthly  chemical 
analysis  in  order  to  detect  any  change  in  its  character. 

Janitor  service  is  maintained  in  each  department  of  the 
works,  the  entire  floor  area  being  sprinkled  and  swept 
each  evening;  a  general,  thorough  cleaning  is  given  each 
week  on  Saturday  afternoons,  at  which  time  the  works 
are  closed  throughout  the  year. 

A  carefully  organized  Employment  Department  insures 
the  employment  of  a  grade  of  men  and  women  far  above 
the  average  from  the  standpoint  of  morality,  as  well  as 
efficiency. 

In  a  plant  of  such  magnitude  it  is  natural  that  the 
greatest  precautions  be  taken  to  minimize  the  fire  risk, 


No.  Description. 

yy — Firemen's  Dormiton-,  adjacent  to  a  manufacturing 
plant.  It  not  only  contains  sleeping  apartments,  but 
reading  and  smoking  rooms,  a  gymnasium,  and  bath 
rooms  with  showers. 

78 — Assembly  Hall  in  men's  club,  with  seating  capacity 
of  250.  The  club  membership  is  composed  of  em- 
ployees in  a  manufacturing  plant.  The  hall  is  used 
for  lectures,  other  educational  features,  and  social 
affairs. 


180 


Vof  THE 


of 


APPENDIX.  i8i 

and  these  works  are  reputed  among  underwriters  to  be 
in  this  respect  the  most  thoroughly  equipped  in  the  world. 
The  company  maintains  a  fire  department  made  up  of  its 
employees  who  are  regularly  and  thoroughly  drilled 
under  the  direction  of  a  foreman,  himself  an  experienced 
fireman.  The  desirability  of  keeping  this  force  together 
at  all  times  has  led  the  company  to  build  a  large  and  com- 
fortable dormitory  adjacent  to  the  works,  where  the  fire- 
men are  given  free  lodgment  under  especially  favorable 
and  agreeable  surroundings.  The  house  contains,  besides 
dormitories  for  the  accommodation  of  thirty  men,  a  read- 
ing-room, smoking-room,  gymnasium,  and  bathrooms 
with  showers.  One-half  of  the  men  are  on  duty  all  of 
the  time,  so  that  the  works  are  never  left  without  an  ex- 
perienced force  of  fifteen  men  ready  for  any  emergency. 
Admission  to  the  department  is  eagerly  sought  by  the 
men,  owing  to  the  comfortable  quarters  provided.  Only 
young  single  men  of  good  physique,  morals,  and  habits, 
and  who  have  been  commended  by  their  work  in  the  de- 
partments in  which  they  are  employed,  are  admitted.  No 
intoxicants  are  permitted  in  the  building,  which  is  under 
the  direct  supervision  of  a  works  official,  who  occupies 
an  adjoining  house,  provided  by  the  company. 

Many  men  in  the  works  realize  that  advancement  is 
dependent  upon  preparation,  and  the  company  has  shown 
a  willingness  to  assist  them  in  their  endeavor  to  obtain 
knowledge.  With  this  end  in  view,  a  corps  of  instructors 
was  selected  from  among  the  regular  draughting  force 
to  teach  mechanical  drawing  to  any  one  who  wished  to 
take  such  a  course.  Materials  and  class  rooms  are  pro- 
vided by  the  company  free  of  charge.  These  classes  have 
been  in  operation  for  three  years.    The  results  have  been 


1 82  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE   WORK. 

very  gratifying,  and  a  number  of  the  pupils  have  left 
the  shops  and  taken  regular  positions  in  the  draughting 
department. 

The  success  of  the  drawing  classes  showed  the  need  of 
further  educational  facilities  on  somewhat  broader  Hues; 
the  company,  therefore,  provided  and  equipped  a  build- 
ing with  blackboards,  desks,  etc.,  and  added  a  restaurant. 
The  institution  was  named  the  "  Casino,"  and  placed  in 
charge  of  nine  employees  of  the  Westinghouse  Com- 
pany, who  have  complete  control  of  the  organization. 
This  committee  elects  from  among  its  number  a  President 
and  Secretary;  also  sub-committee  on  restaurant,  amuse- 
ment, library,  school,  property,  and  auditing,  which  meets 
once  a  month. 

After  the  first  year  the  building  was  found  inadequate 
for  the  purpose,  and  another  was  erected  immediately  ad- 
joining and  connected,  and  the  restaurant  capacity  was 
more  than  doubled.  The  lunch  rooms  have  a  capacity 
for  feeding  twelve  hundred  persons  per  hour.  The  quick 
lunch  plan  is  in  force ;  each  person  has  access  to  whatever 
he  wishes  from  the  supply  maintained  by  the  chefs.  On 
his  way  to  a  seat  he  passes  a  clerk  from  whom  he  re- 
ceives a  check,  indicating  the  amount  to  be  paid  when 
leaving.  Perfect  satisfaction  has  attended  this  method. 
The  tables  used  in  the  restaurant  are  easily  removed  and 
stored,  thus  permitting  the  dining-room,  which  has  a  seat- 
ing capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  presons,  to  be  used 
as  a  lecture  room. 

Amusement  features  have  been  added  as  a  source  of 
revenue,  including  nine  pool  and  two  billiard  tables  and 
four  bowling  alleys,  the  income  from  which  reduces  to 
a  minimum  the  cost  of  an  excellent  quality  of  food,  and 


APPENDIX.  183 

also  assists  in  defraying  the  expenses  connected  with  the 
educational  classes,  that  afford  instruction  in  mechanical 
and  electrical  engineering  and  shop  practice  under  the 
guidance  of  an  experienced  corps  of  paid  instructors  in 
charge  of  an  educational  director.  The  enrollment  at  the 
beginning  of  the  present  school  term  numbered  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-three.  Applications  received  exceeded 
the  capacity  over  fifty  per  cent.  Greater  facilities  will  be 
added  to  take  care  of  all  who  apply  for  these  courses  in 
the  fall. 

A  branch  library,  cooperating  with  the  Carnegie  Li- 
brary at  Braddock,  is  in  charge  of  the  Casino  librarian, 
who  attends  to  the  distribution  of  books  free  to  employees 
and  residents  upon  application.  The  privileges  of  the 
Casino  are  extended  to  all  residents  of  East  Pittsburg  and 
vicinity,  as  well  as  employees  of  the  Westinghouse  Com- 
panies. 

The  Electric  Club  is  another  institution  organized  for 
social,  engineering,  and  physical  improvement,  and  is 
governed  by  a  Board  of  Directors,  composed  of  nine  mem- 
bers, three  of  whom  are  appointed  by  the  Westinghouse 
Electric  and  Manufacturing  Company  and  the  remaining 
six  are  elected  by  the  club  members,  each  retaining  office 
for  one  year.  Its  members  include  nearly  all  of  the  ap- 
prentices, engineers,  and  officials  of  the  company. 

The  assembly  hall,  or  lecture  room,  will  seat  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  people.  The  reading  room  is  well  ap- 
pointed, and  all  of  the  weekly  and  monthly  journals  and 
technical  papers  are  on  file  and  accessible  at  all  times. 
The  remaining  rooms,  six  in  number,  are  used  for  class 
and  small  club  purposes. 

The  educational  features  are,  of  course,  the  most  promi- 


1 84  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

nent.  It  is  here  that  the  young  college  graduate  meets 
the  older  engineers  to  discuss  the  latest  engineering  prob- 
lems and  receive  answers  to  questions  that  arise  during 
the  day  in  connection  with  the  apprenticeship  service.  A 
complete  lecture  course  is  carried  out  during  the  winter 
months,  and  many  prominent  men  have  spoken  to  the 
members  on  general  as  well  as  engineering  subjects. 

During  the  winter  months  alternate  Saturday  evenings 
are  used  for  some  social  affair,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Ladies'  Committee  of  the  club,  which  is  composed  of  the 
wives  of  the  officials  and  engineers  of  the  Westinghouse 
Companies.  These  entertainments  have  proven  very  suc- 
cessful, and  are  well  attended  by  the  club  members  and 
their  friends. 

A  monthly  journal,  made  up  of  the  monthly  trans- 
actions of  the  club,  was  first  issued  February  first,  of  this 
year.  The  circulation  is  general,  and  the  journal  has  met 
with  a  decided  success,  purely  on  its  own  merits.  The 
subscription  list  at  present  contains  over  four  thousand 
names. 


ACCOUNT  OF  THE  WELFARE  WORK  OF  THE 
SOLVAY  PROCESS  COMPANY,  PRESENTED 
BY   LOUIS   A.   KRUMBHAAR,   SECRETARY. 

THE     SOLVAY     PROCESS     COMPANY,     LOCATED     AT     SOLVAY, 
NEAR   SYRACUSE,    N.    Y. 

A  BOUT  2,500  persons  are  employed  in  the  works  and 
•^^  quarries  of  the  Solvay  Process  Company.  The  in- 
terests of  company  and  town  are  identical,  two-thirds  of 
the  village  taxes  being  paid  by  the  corporation,  and  the 
well-being  of  the  inhabitants  in  general  and  of  the  em- 
ployees in  particular  always  has  been  a  matter  of  thought- 
ful consideration  on  the  part  of  the  management  of  this 
large  manufacturing  establishment.  The  relations  be- 
tween employer  and  employed  are,  therefore,  most  cor- 
dial, and  the  effort  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  work- 
men and  their  families  has  met  with  a  gratifying  meas- 
ure of  success. 

THE  GUILD  HALL  FOR  EDUCATIONAL  AND  RECREATIVE 
FEATURES. 

When  in  1886  the  company  instituted  a  sewing  school 
for  young  girls,  principally  children  of  the  workmen,  in 
a  room  of  its  office  building,  it  was  of  the  opinion  that 
this  plan  of  beginning  at  the  foundation  would  prove  to 
be  a  more  effective  way  of  establishing  reciprocal  rela- 
tions with  its  employees,  ultimately  uplifting  them  so- 

185 


i86  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

daily  and  ethically,  than  through  any  direct  effort 
among  the  men  themselves.  Experience  has  demonstrated 
that  this  conclusion  was  correct,  for  considerable  good 
has  been  accomplished  along  these  lines,  a  number  of 
those  who  were  pupils  in  the  early  years  now  having 
families  and  homes,  in  which  is  being  put  into  daily  prac- 
tice the  knowledge  they  acquired  in  the  classes  attended 
by  them  in  childhood.  At  the  outset  the  attendance  at 
the  sewing  school  was  small,  but  in  the  course  of  time  it 
developed  so  rapidly  in  numbers  that  it  outgrew  its 
original  quarters,  and  the  company,  desiring  to  provide 
sufficient  space  to  properly  conduct  this  work,  besides 
having  in  prospect  the  introduction  of  other  industrial, 
educational,  and  social  features,  constructed  and  furnished 
at  large  expense  a  commodious  Guild  House,  to  which 
is  attached  a  Guild  Hall,  containing  modern  improve- 
ments, including  electric  lighting,  a  stage  equipped  with 
all  the  accessories  for  amateur  theatricals,  dressing-rooms, 
a  coat  room  for  men  and  a  cloak  room  for  women. 

The  main  floor  of  the  assembly  room  in  the  Guild  Hall 
will  seat  600  auditors,  and  a  large  gallery  at  one  end  of 
the  room  will  accommodate  an  additional  number  of 
people.  The  hall  is  frequently  used  for  concerts,  enter- 
tainments, and  lectures,  given  under  the  auspices  of  the 
company,  which  usually  charges  the  villagers  an  entrance 
fee  of  five  cents,  this  nominal  price  of  admission  adding 
to  the  value  of  and  the  interest  in  these  events. 

The  basement  of  the  Guild  House,  in  which  are  bil- 
liard and  pool  tables,  is  devoted  to  club  purposes  by  men 
employed  in  the  clerical  and  other  departments. 

On  the  first  floor  are  class  rooms,  a  circulating  library, 
and  a  kitchen  equipped  with  a  range,  culinary  utensils. 


APPENDIX.  187 

and  two  long  tables,  on  each  of  which  are  installed  five 
small  gas  stoves  for  the  use  of  cooking  classes. 

The  company  has  also  built  a  club  house  on  the  grounds, 
where  a  number  of  the  office  employees,  comprising 
chemists,  civil  engineers,  draughtsmen,  etc.,  reside.  Near 
the  latter  building  is  a  dormitory  for  women  employed 
in  the  restaurant  and  the  Guild  House.  In  summer 
these  structures  are  surrounded  by  artistically  arranged 
flower  gardens  and  neatly  trimmed  grass  lawns. 

For  the  purpose  of  encouraging  physical  culture 
through  outdoor  sports  among  its  employees  and  their 
children,  the  company  has  enclosed  a  five-acre  plot  close 
to  the  office  building.  This  model  athletic  field  has  a 
tennis  court  and  a  running  track,  and  a  portion  of  the 
space  is  used  for  the  popular  game  of  baseball. 

In  general  the  children's  classes  are  conducted  under 
the  direction  of  the  King's  Daughters.  A  certain  amount 
of  money  is  set  aside  by  the  company  for  the  partial  sup- 
port of  this  part  of  the  work,  and  each  member  of  a  class 
pays  five  cents  per  lesson.  Teachers  are  employed,  only 
a  minor  portion  of  the  service  being  voluntary.  On 
alternate  Monday  afternoons  the  Willing  Circle  of  King's 
Daughters,  composed  of  the  wives  and  sisters  of  clerks 
in  the  employ  of  the  company,  convenes  in  the  Guild 
House,  where  its  members  outline  the  best  methods  of 
developing  and  strengthening  the  work  that  comes  within 
their  province.  A  cooking  class,  which  has  a  membership 
of  twenty-six  young  women,  whose  ages  range  from 
sixteen  to  twenty  years,  receives  instruction  on  Monday 
evenings.  Plain  and  fancy  dishes  are  prepared,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  year  there  is  an  exhibition  of  the  work 
performed  by  the  pupils.     On   the   same   evening  the 


No.  Description. 

19 — Auditorium  for  use  of  the  employees  in  a  large  plant, 
where  dancing  parties,  lectures  and  other  entertain- 
ments are  held. 

20 — Exterior  of  building  containing  auditorium,  library, 
educational  class  rooms  and  club  rooms. 

21 — A  domestic  science  class  in  this  factory  community. 


188 


MhI 

;i 

APPENDIX.  189 

Knights  of  St.  John,  consisting  of  thirty-two  boys,  have 
a  drill  in  the  Guild  Hall.  Another  cooking  class  of 
twenty-two  girls  assembles  on  Tuesday  evenings  in  the 
Guild  House  kitchen,  while  at  the  same  time  the  senior 
gymnastic  class  devotes  a  few  hours  to  calisthenic  ex- 
ercise in  the  assembly  hall.  The  Solvay  Circle  of  King's 
Daughters  meets  on  alternate  Wednesday  afternoons  in 
the  Guild  House,  and  on  every  Wednesday  evening  the 
dancing  class  of  163  boys  and  girls  occupies  the  floor  of 
the  Guild  Hall.  The  first  class  of  this  kind  was  organized 
in  1890.  Prior  to  that  year  dancing  parties  held  in  Sol- 
vay and  vicinity  were  boisterous  affairs,  but  shortly 
after  the  company  added  this  feature  to  its  program  there 
was  a  noticeable  improvement  in  the  manners  of  the 
younger  element  in  the  community,  and  in  the  dancing 
class  of  the  present  day  a  well-behaved  set  of  youths  is 
invariably  found.  The  sewing  school,  with  an  average 
attendance  of  275  girls,  is  divided  into  classes  in  the  Guild 
Hall  every  Friday  afternoon,  each  class  being  under  the 
supervision  of  a  competent  teacher.  Tuition  is  free.  The 
course  is  graded.  Lessons  in  dressmaking  are  given  to 
a  class  of  young  women  on  Friday  evenings.  Once  a 
year  the  Solvay  Willing  and  other  Circles  of  King's 
Daughters  combine,  and  in  December  hold  a  bazaar  in  the 
assembly  hall,  which  is  beautifully  decorated  for  the  oc- 
casion. The  proceeds  are  placed  in  the  special  fund  that 
supports  the  various  projects. 

Toward  the  support  of  the  free  library  in  the  Guild 
House  the  company  contributes  $25  a  month.  There  are 
also  contributors  from  other  sources.  The  very  best  class 
of  literature  is  found  upon  its  shelves,  which  contain 
books  suitable  for  people  of  all  ages.    One  thousand  bor- 


I90  CONFERENCE    ON    WELFARE    WORK. 

rowers  are  enrolled,  and  during  the  year  ended  on  June 
30,  1903,  the  circulation  numbered  7,038  volumes.  The 
total  number  of  books  in  the  library  is  less  than  1,600. 

men's  mutual  benefit  society. 

While  the  company  has  done  much  toward  advancing 
the  interests  of  the  children  of  its  employees,  it  likewise 
has  adopted  and  successfully  executed  important  plans 
for  the  direct  welfare  of  the  workmen.  On  November 
12,  1888,  the  Solvay  Mutual  Benefit  Society  was  formed 
among  the  wage  earners  to  render  them  financial  relief 
in  case  of  sickness,  accident,  or  death.  None  but  em- 
ployees of  the  company  are  eligible  to  membership  in  this 
society.  They  are  obliged  to  pass  a  medical  examination 
and  to  pay  an  initiation  fee  of  ninety  cents.  For  members 
who  receive  at  least  $5  per  week  in  wages  the  dues  are 
thirty  cents  a  month,  and  those  whose  compensation  is 
less  than  $5  weekly  are  charged  one-half  of  the  regular 
initiation  fee  and  dues.  For  every  thirty  cents  paid  in 
dues  by  its  work  people  the  company  contributes  fifteen 
cents.  The  corporation's  paymaster  is  authorized  in 
writing  by  members  to  retain  initiation  fees  and  dues 
from  their  wages.  These  sums  are  collected  by  the  treas- 
urer of  the  society,  who  deposits  them  with  the  company's 
treasurer,  to  whom  are  addressed  all  orders  for  the  re- 
quirements of  the  benefit  association,  the  latter's  treas- 
urer keeping  accounts  of  its  financial  condition  and 
making  a  monthly  statement  of  the  same,  together  with  a 
full  report  at  the  end  of  his  term  of  office.  Ninety  days 
after  joining  the  organization  members  are  entitled  to 
sick,  accident,  or  death  benefits.     An  employee  disabled 


APPENDIX.  191 

from  work  by  illness  or  injury  receives  $6  per  week  for 
not  more  than  six  months  if  his  earnings  be  $5  weekly 
or  over.  One-half  benefit  is  paid  to  those  receiving  less 
than  $5  a  week.  (This  is  for  the  purpose  of  including 
the  errand  boys.)  Provision  is  also  made  for  the  pay- 
ment of  a  funeral  benefit  of  $100  and  a  half  benefit  of 
$50,  and  upon  the  death  of  the  wife  of  a  member  he  re- 
ceives $50.  In  addition  the  company  defrays  all  expenses 
incurred  in  the  treatment  of  injured  workmen  who  are 
taken  to  hospitals,  and  it  also  engages  and  compensates 
medical  specialists  when  occasion  demands  their  services. 

The  beneficial  results  that  have  been  achieved  in  this 
particular  branch  of  the  company's  welfare  efforts  are 
fully  reflected  in  the  monthly  statement  of  the  associa- 
tion's treasurer  on  June  15,  1903.  This  report  reveals 
the  interesting  fact  that  since  its  formation  in  1888  the 
receipts  of  the  society  aggregated  $201,557.57,  while  the 
disbursements  for  that  period  reached  the  large  sum  of 
$196,347.24,  leaving  a  balance  in  the  treasury  of 
$5,210.33. 

Skilled  physicians  and  surgeons  are  appointed  by  the 
company  to  attend  the  sick  and  injured.  Their  remu- 
neration is  fixed  by  the  board  of  trustees.  The  physicians 
notify  the  society's  secretary  of  all  sick  and  accident 
cases,  and  make  a  weekly  report  of  the  condition  of  dis- 
abled members,  always  holding  themselves  in  readiness 
to  immediately  respond  to  calls  in  the  event  of  necessity. 
Members  on  the  sick  list  must  be  at  home  by  sundown 
to  entitle  them  to  benefit.  Those  who  meet  with  acci- 
dents are  required  to  be  in  their  residences  at  the  set- 
ting of  the  sun,  unless  the  society  physicians  or  a  ma- 
jority of  the  trustees  grant  them  written  permission  to 


No.  Description. 

69 — Dormitory  in  a  manufacturing  community  provided 
for  superintendent  of  welfare  work  and  her  lieu- 
tenants, showing  view  of  adjacent  boarding  house, 
.  where  every  comfort  has  been  provided  for  the  office 
men.  Even  the  mending  woman  cares  for  the 
clothes  at  a  small  charge,  and  the  tailor  calls  twice  a 
week  to  press  their  garments. 

70 — Sitting-room  of  "  The  Inn,"  patronized  mostly  by 
the  men  employees  in  a  mining  district. 


192 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


APPENDIX.  193 

be  out.  In  the  way  of  penalties,  any  member  whose  dis- 
abiUty  is  occasioned  by  the  use  of  intoxicating  Hquors 
waives  his  right  to  benefits,  and  one  who  feigns  sick- 
ness in  order  to  obtain  pecuniary  rehef,  or  who  becomes 
intoxicated  while  on  the  sick  list,  is  liable  to  suspension 
from  the  society  for  a  period  determined  by  the  trustees. 

The  last  annual  report  of  the  treasurer  of  the  mutual 
benefit  society,  for  1902,  sets  forth  that  out  of  2,429  men 
employed  in  the  works,  2,120  were  members  of  the  as- 
sociation. During  the  year  the  total  number  of  patients 
treated  was  2,489,  comprising  2,209  cases  of  sickness, 
230  injuries  to  members  while  on  duty,  and  50  injuries 
while  oflf  duty. 

Within  the  year  the  chief  physician  appointed  for  the 
works  had  3,990  office  calls,  and  he  visited  the  homes  of 
employees  1,918  times.  The  amount  paid  for  office  calls 
was  $1,327.69  (an  average  rate  of  33-f-  cents),  and  for 
house  calls,  $1,276.44  (average  66-1-  cents) — a  total  of 
$2,604.13,  or  an  average  of  $1.23  per  member. 

LECTURES  FOR  THE  MEN  ON  FIRST  AID  TO  THE  INJURED. 

The  company  has  pursued  a  novel  course  in  the  matter 
of  affording  speedy  relief  to  persons  in  its  employ  who  are 
injured  while  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  Recently  it 
inaugurated  a  series  of  lectures  on  "  First  aid  to  the  in- 
jured.^' These  lectures  were  delivered  by  eminent  phy- 
sicians to  such  workmen  as  cared  to  attend,  but  the  twenty- 
six  special  policemen  detailed  to  patrol  the  works — men 
who  come  directly  in  contact  with  all  accident  cases — 
were  required  to  be  present.  Considerable  information 
on  the  subject  of  quick  treatment  was  imparted  to  those 


194  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

who  took  advantage  of  these  talks.  To  further  enHghten 
the  employees  who  had  signified  their  intention  to  con- 
tinue the  pursuit  of  knowledge  of  this  character,  with  a 
view  to  putting  it  to  effective  use  in  the  event  of  emer- 
gency, a  small  first-aid  treatise  was  placed  in  their  hands 
by  the  company.  After  they  had  studied  this  treatise  for 
two  weeks  the  men  were  subjected  to  an  examination  in 
order  to  ascertain  whether  they  were  proficient  enough  to 
be  called  upon  to  perform  simple  operations  in  surgery. 
Those  who  passed  were  given  appropriate  badges  to  wear, 
thus  indicating  that  they  were  suitable  persons  to  be  sum- 
moned in  instances  where  quick  aid  might  be  necessary. 
It  is  proposed  to  further  examine  these  employees  at 
stated  intervals  to  note  the  progress  they  are  making,  and 
to  have  further  classes  of  the  same  character. 

In  the  patrol  room  the  company  has  a  well-stocked 
medicine  locker  and  a  complete  set  of  operating  instru- 
ments, and  about  the  works  it  has  established  fifteen 
auxiliary  stations  equipped  with  such  medical  supplies  as 
may  be  needed  quickly  in  accident  cases. 


DINING  AND  LUNCH-ROOMS. 

On  the  second  floor  of  the  patrol  building  there  is  a 
well-appointed  dining-room  for  the  officers  and  employees 
of  the  company.  Here  a  regular  dinner  is  served  for  fif- 
teen cents.-  In  a  large  and  scrupulously  clean  kitchen  ad- 
joining the  restaurant  all  the  cooking  is  performed.  The 
company  furnishes  the  service  and  food,  which  latter  is 
most  excellent  in  quality,  the  vegetables,  milk  and  butter 
being  supplied  from  its  farms  at  Tully.    One  hundred  and 


APPENDIX.  195 

eighty  people  are  served  daily  in  and  from  the  dining- 
room. 

A  large  lunch  counter  for  the  factory  help  is  kept  open 
twenty-four  hours  every  day,  excepting  Sunday,  when  it 
is  closed  from  3  P.  M.  to  6  P.  M.  Luncheon,  consisting 
of  griddle  cakes,  cookies  or  fried  cakes,  with  coffee,  is 
served  from  6  A.  M.  to  10  A.  M.  for  five  cents.  For 
dinner,  from  11  A.  M.  to  i  P.  M.,  and  for  supper,  from 
5  P.  M.  to  7  P.  M.,  the  charge  is  ten  cents,  the  fare  com- 
prising meat  and  potatoes,  one  helping  of  vegetables,  bread 
and  butter,  two  cups  of  coffee  or  a  glass  of  milk.  Many 
take  their  luncheons  between  the  hours  set  apart  for  reg- 
ular meals,  when  they  may  obtain  cold  sandwiches,  bread 
and  milk,  baked  beans  and  hot  coffee  at  a  moderate  price. 
At  the  lunch  house  each  day  six  hundred  workmen  take 
their  meals. 

The  company  has  just  completed  a  gyrqnasium  for  its 
employees  and  their  children,  a  perfect  system  of  baths 
being  included. 

A  SHARING  OF  PROFITS. 

What  has  proved  to  be  a  successful  plan  of  profit  shar- 
ing was  inaugurated  by  the  board  of  directors  in  1887.  At 
first  only  the  chief  employees  and  general  officers  of  the 
company  were  admitted  to  participation,  it  being  con- 
sidered that  these  men  were  in  a  position  to  make  the  busi- 
ness of  the  concern  more  prosperous  through  special  care 
and  attention,  and  as  an  appreciation  of  this  extra  effort 
each  participant  was  allowed  a  certain  sum,  depending 
upon  the  amount  of  salary  he  received  and  the  rate  of 
dividends  allotted  to  stockholders ;  thus,  if  dividends  were 


No.  Description. 

74 — View  of  kitchen  and  serving  counter  in  a  large  mill. 

75,  76 — Views  of  kitchen  and  bake  shop  in  a  large  manu- 
facturing plant. 


196 


APPENDIX.  197 

high,  the  participation  was  correspondingly  high,  and  vice 
versa.  In  1890  the  system  was  enlarged  so  as  to  include 
foremen  and  assistant  foremen,  whose  participation  was 
based  upon  the  foregoing  method,  the  payments,  however, 
being  proportionately  smaller.  Since  the  latter  year  the 
plan  has  been  somewhat  extended  annually  among  older 
employees  of  the  classes  named.  The  company  reports 
that  it  has  reason  to  believe  the  system  is  an  excellent  one 
and  attains  the  desired  end,  for  it  has  incited  greater  in- 
terest in  the  affairs  of  the  establishment,  inducing  sugges- 
tions for  improvements,  little  economies,  and  the  exercise 
of  more  care  in  consuming  supplies  and  materials.  It  has 
not  been  extended  to  the  workmen. 


Among  those  present  were : 

H.  H.  Vreeland  (President  New  York  City  Railway  Company 
and  Chairman  Welfare  Department  National  Civic  Federa- 
tion), New  York  City. 

E.  M.  Herr  (Vice-President  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company), 
Wilmerding,  Pa. 

W.  G.  Mather  (President  Qeveland  Cliffs  Iron  Company), 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

O.  F.  Humphreys  (Patton  Paint  Company),  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

J.  F.  P.  Lawton  (Assistant  Treasurer  and  Secretary  Gorham 
Manufacturing  Company)  Providence,  R.  I. 

Charles  W.  Hubbard  (Treasurer  Ludlow  Manufacturing  Asso- 
ciates), Boston,  Mass. 

Dexter  S.  Kimball  (Works  Manager  Stanley  Electrical  Manu- 
facturing Company),  Pittsfield,  Mass. 

E..F.  Olmsted  (Natural  Food  Company),  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

W.  M.  Pratt  (Treasurer  Goodell-Pratt  Company),  Greenfield, 
Mass. 

Robert  Leach  (Superintendent  R.  H.  Macy  &  Company),  New 
York  City. 

Louis  Krumbhaar  (Solvay  Process  Company),  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

E.  A.  Stedman  (Manager  Atlantic  Department  Wells  Fargo 
Company),  New  York,  N.  Y. 


198  CONFERENCE   ON   WELFARE    WORK. 

John  J.  Amory  (President  Gas  Engine  and  Power  Company  and 
Charles  L.  Seabury  Company),  Morris  Heights,  New  York. 

J.  G,  Taylor  (Treasurer  Hampshire  Paper  Company)  South 
Hadley  Falls,  Mass. 

George  B.  Muldaur  (Merritt  &  Company),  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

A.  R.  Taft  (Assistant  Secretary  Morgan  Construction  Com- 
pany), Worcester,  Mass. 

W.  E.  C.  Nazro  (Plymouth  Cordage  Company),  North  Ply- 
mouth. Mass. 

Elmer  Redelle  (Secretary  Men's  Welfare  Work  League  National 
Cash  Register  Company),  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Miss  Diana  Hirschler  (William  Filene's  Sons  Company),  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

Mrs.  Charles  W.  Wheeler  (The  Shepard  Company)  Provi- 
dence, R.  I. 

G.  A.  Warburton  (Y.  M.  C.  A.,  New  York  Central  Club),  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Miss  Anna  B.  Doughton  (Curtis  Publishing  Company),  Phila- 
delohia.  Pa. 

N.  W.  Cease  (American  Locomotive  Company)  Schenectady, 
N.  Y. 

Mrs.  Isabelle  F.  Nye  (Siegel-Cooper  Company).  New  York  City. 

Mrs.  M.  Louise  Hynson  (John  Wanamaker  Company),  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

W.  J.  Eraser  (Secretarv  Industrial  Department.  Y.  M.  C.  A.), 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

T.  W.  Bacchus  (Repauna  Manufacturing  Company),  Wilming- 
ton, Del. 

ATrs.  Anna  Garlin  Spencer,  New  York. 

Miss  Brooke,  London.  England. 

D.  E.  Tits  worth  (Manager  Potter  Printing  Press  Company). 
Plainfield,  N.  J. 

W.  B.  Albright  (Sherwin-Williams  Company),  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

J.  E.  Stevens  (Agent  Ludlow  Manufacturing  Associates),  Lud- 
low. Mass. 

H.  G.  Prout  (Vice-President  Union  Switch  &  Signal  Company), 
Swissdale,  Pa. 

Charles  R.  Towson  (General  Secretary  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
Branch  Y.  M.  C.  A.),  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

C.  C.  MiCHENER  (Secretary  Industrial  Department  Y.  M.  C.  A.), 
New  York  City. 

H.  D.  Perky  (President  Natural  Food  Company),  Niagara  Falls, 
N.  Y. 

Miss  Frances  Kellor,  New  York. 

Miss  Marion  Houston,  New  York. 

John  H.  Patterson  (President  National  Cash  Register  Com- 
pany), Dayton,  Ohio. 


APPENDIX.  199 

Ralph  H.  Easley  (Chairman  Executive  Council  National  Civic 
Federation),  New  York  City. 

Miss  Gertrude  Beeks  (Secretary  Welfare  Department  National 
Civic  Federation),  New  York  City. 

Miss  Josephine  Coleman  (National  Biscuit  Company),  New 
York  City. 

Miss  C.  E.  Swift,  New  York  City. 

Juan  M.  Ceballos  (India  Wharf  Brewing  Company),  New  York. 

S.  T.  Stewart,  New  York  City. 

W.  L.  Lewis  (Norfolk  and  Western  Railroad),  Roanoke,  Va. 

Miss  G.  R.  Brigham  (William  Filene's  Sons  Company),  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

J.  M.  Dudley  (Secretary  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  Company 
Branch  Y.  M.  C.  A.),  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  Frank  Parsons  (Economic  Club),  Boston,  Mass. 

George  W.  Slingerland  (General  Superintendent  American  Ex- 
press Company),  New  York  City. 

T.  H.  McInnerney  (Siegel-Cooper  Company),  New  York  City. 

Miss  Lillie  Hamilton  French,  New  York  City. 

Miss  Harding,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Miss  Helen  M.  Kelsey,  New  York  City. 

Richard  C.  Morse  (General  Secretary  International  Committee 
Y.  M.  C.  A.),  New  York  City. 

R.  W.  Hawthorne,  New  York  City. 

W.  A.  Ryan  (National  Cash  Register  Company),  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Miss  Mary  Ireland,  New  York  City. 


INDEX 


Accidents:     Care    of    Injured,  ! 
xii.,  23,  42,  99,  157,  190-194- 

Albright,  W.  B.,  131.. 

American  Locomotive  Com- 
pany, 167. 

Apprentices,  loi,  129,  183,  184. 

Aprons,  158. 

Athletics:  Baseball,  19-23,  Ii7, 
161;  basket  ball,  75;  calis- 
thenics, 189 ;  contests — field 
day,  22,  23;  field,  71,  187; 
football,  117;  gymnasiums, 
xxiv.,  70,  103;  ping  pong, 
100;  tennis,  161. 

Arbitration,  33,  35,  125. 

Auditoriums,  157,  188. 

Bands:  Concerts,  14,  22,  23,  161. 
Banks,  35,  loi,  163,  165. 
Baseball,  19-23,  20,  71,  117,  161, 

187. 
Basket  ball,  75- 
Bathing  beach,  18. 
Baths,     xi. :     shower,     xxiv. ; 

bathing   beach,    18;    shower, 

43,    44;    in    houses,    50,    65; 

factory,    121,    155;    foundry, 

176;  shower,  178. 
Bazaar,  189. 
Beeks,    Gertrude    (Miss),    xv., 

83,  84,  86. 
Benefit  Societies:  Compulsory, 

42,    107,    190;   voluntary,   25, 

26,  50-53,  99,   112,   135,   146, 

159-162. 
Bicycle  sheds,  28,  98,  156. 
Billiards,  182,  186. 
Boarding  houses,  98,   11 1,   123, 

140,  143,  187,  192. 


Bowling,  45,  140. 
Boys'  Gardens,  124. 

Caps,  158. 
Calisthenics,   189. 
Cease,  N.  W.,  167. 
Changing  house,  44. 
Christmas   entertainment 

(Tree),  15. 
Classes,   miscellaneous,    49,   74, 

75,  167,  185-189. 
Cleveland  Cliffs  Iron  Co.,  40. 
Clubs  :. Miscellaneous,  14,  45,  49, 

57,  58.  70,  77-93,  121-123,  130, 

131,    159-162,    180,    185-190; 

men's,  no,  115,  142,  143,  183. 
Club  houses,  xvi.,  10-14,  35,  43- 

45,   17,    78,   94-99,    ii5,    123, 

142,  143,  180,  183,  185-190. 
Concerts,  14-23,  157,  161,  186. 
Contests,  athletic,  22,  23. 
Cooking  classes,  15,  16,  75,  103, 

122,  158,  187,  188. 
Cooperative  association,  31,  38, 

40. 
Cooperative  store,  17. 
Credit  systern,  74. 
Curtis     Publishing     Company, 

163. 


Dancing:  Classes,  122,  124; 
classes  and  parties,  189; 
parties,  14,  96,  103,  I33,  135- 

Dinners :  Employees',  37 ;  fore- 
men's, 99,  100;  travelers* 
gatherings,  99 ;  employees* 
and  company,  131. 

Dormitories,   187,   192. 


202 


INDEX. 


Doughten,    Anna    B.     (Miss), 

163. 
Dressing  rooms,  xi.,  44,  46,  136. 
Dressmaking  classes,  75,  189. 
Drinking  water,  xi.,  6.  53,  158, 

178,  179- 
Dudley,  J.  M.,  80,  92. 
Easley,  Ralph  M.,  84,  91. 

Education,  xiv. :  Apprentices 
classes,  loi ;  classes,  miscel- 
laneous, 49,  74,  75,  167,  185- 
189;  cooking  classes,  15,  16, 
75,  103,  122,  158,  187;  dress- 
making classes,  75,  189;  edu- 
cational clubs,  58,  183; 
"first  aid"  lectures,  193; 
gardening,  boys',  121,  124;  in- 
dustrial classes,  15, 17 ;  kinder- 
garten, 14;  lectures,  120,  133, 
149,  180,  193;  libraries,  8,  10, 
35,  36,  45,  58,  67,  76,  98,  113, 
121,  131,  135,  143,  145,  154, 
155,  163,  183,  186,  189; 
periodicals,  21,  39,  123,  183, 
184;  sewing  classes,  75,  122, 
185,  189;  talks:  by  em- 
ployees, 133 ;  by  foremen, 
162 ;  technical  instruction,  15, 
17,  31,  45,  58,  149,  181-183. 


Fairs,  21,  2Z,  189. 
Field  day,  20,  21-23. 
Filene's  Sons  Co.,  Wm.,  26. 
Firemen's  dormitory,  180. 
Fire   protection:    Brigade,    59; 

drills,  159,  180,  181. 
"  First  aid  "  lectures,  193. 
Football,  71,  117. 
Foremen's  club,  159-162. 


Gardening,  boys',  121,  124. 
Girls'  club.  14. 

Gorham    Manufacturing    Com- 
pany, 94. 
Gymnasiums,  xxiv.,  70,  103,  195. 


I   Herr,  E.  M.,  47,  53. 
Hirschler,    Diana    (Miss),    26, 

2>7,  85,  109,  no,  112,  125. 
Hospitals,  23,  24,  42,  43,  132. 
Housing,  xiv.,  7,  8,  41,  49,  50, 
j       52,  62-68,  loi,  122. 
I   Hubbard,  Charles  W.,  60,  127, 
I       129. 

j   Humphreys,  O.  F.,  54,  93,  in, 
127,  130. 
Hynson,     M.    Louise     (Mrs.), 
167. 

Indoor    games    and    entertain- 
ments, 45,  149. 
Industrial  classes,  15,  17. 
Insurance,  137,  146. 

Kindergarten,  14. 
Kimball,  Dexter,  S.,  114,  126. 
Kitchens,  175,  186,  194,  196. 
Krumbhaar,  Louis,  81,  82,  93. 
102,  125,  185. 

Labor  bureau,  118,  119. 

Laundries,  xi.,  55,  158. 

Lawton,  J.  F.  P.,  94. 

Lectures,  120,  133,  149,  180,  193. 

Libraries,  8,  10,  35,  36,  45,  58, 
67,  76,  98,  113,  121,  131,  135, 
143,  145,  154.  155,  163,  183. 
186,  189. 

Light  work  rooms,  148,  177. 

Lockers,  xi.,  43,  44,  46,  156,  168, 
177. 

Ludlow  Manufacturing  Asso- 
ciates, 60. 

Lunch  club,  57. 

Lunch  rooms,  xii..  10,  12,  35, 
Z6,  43,  45,  46,  56,  57,  71-74. 
95-98,  100.  113,  116,  121,  128, 
131,  152-154.  163,  164,  167, 
169-173,  175,  182,  194,  195. 

Mather,  W.  G.,  40. 

Men's  club,  45. 

Menus:  Sample  menus.  11-13: 
prices.  97,  152-154,  172,  173- 
195- 


INDEX. 


203 


Men's  Welfare  League,  121.         I 
Michener.  C.  C,  75-91,  129. 
Music,  46. 

National  Civic  Federation,  v., 
viii.,  I,  37,  167,  169,  174. 

Natural  Food  Company,  150. 

Nazro,  W.  E.  C,  3.  53,  ii7- 

New  York  City  Railway  Com- 
pany, 138. 

Nurses,  25,  132. 

Nye,  Isabelle  F.  (Mrs.),  104. 

Olmsted,  E.  F.,  150. 
Omwake,  John,  46. 
Operatic  performance,  144. 
Orchestra,  99. 
Osborne,  L.  A.,  175. 
Overalls,  55. 

Parks,  26,  122. 

Parsons,  Frank,  126. 

Patterson.  John  H.,  37,  79,  80, 
90,  92,  93,  no,  III,  118. 

Patton  Paint  Company,  54.  130. 

Periodicals,  21.  39,  123,  183, 
184. 

Pensions,  loi,  134,  138. 

Ping  pong,  100. 

Play  ground,  18. 

Plymouth  Cordage  Company, 
3,  4. 

Pool  rooms,  76,  143.  182,  186. 

Potter  Printing  Press  Com- 
pany, 125. 

Prizes,  22,  33,  41,  50,  121,  157. 

Profit  sharing,  125,  126-129, 
150,  195. 

Ryan,  W.  A.,  88,  91,  iii. 

Recreation.  xiii. :  Athletics, 
xxiv,  19-23.  70,  71,  75.  100, 
103,  117,  161,  187,  189;  ath- 
letic field,  71,  187;  audi- 
torium— concerts,  lectures,  en- 
tertainment, 158,  188;  bands 
— concerts,  14,  22,  23,  161 ; 
baseball,    19-23,  71,   117,   161. 


187;  basket  ball,  75;  bathing 
beach,  18;  bazaar,  189;  bi- 
cycle sheds,  28,  98,  156;  bil- 
liards, 182,  186;  bowling,  45, 
140;  calisthenics,  189;  clubs: 
miscellaneous,  14,  45,  49,  57, 
58,  70,  77'  93,  121 -123, 
130,  131,  159-162,  180, 
185-190;  men's,  no,  115, 
142,  143,  183;  club  houses, 
xvi.,  10-14,  35,  43-45,  77,  78, 
94-99,  115,  123,  142,  143.  180, 
183,  185-190;  Christmas  en- 
tainment  (tree),  15;  con- 
certs, 14-23,  157,  161,  186; 
contests :  athletic,  22,  23 ; 
dancing:  parties,  14,  96,  103, 
^33,  135;  classes,  122,  124; 
classes  and  parties,  189;  din- 
ners: employees',  37;  fore- 
men's, 99,  100 ;  travelers' 
gatherings,  99 ;  employees' 
and  company,  131 ;  fairs,  21, 
23,  189;  field  day,  21-23;  foot- 
ball. 71,  117;  gymnasiums, 
xxiv.,  70,  103,  195;  indoor 
games  and  entertainments,  45, 
149;  music.  46;  opening  en- 
tertainment of  club  house, 
96 ;  operatic  performance, 
144;  orchestra,  99;  outings, 
41 ;  parks,  26,  122 ;  ping  pong, 
100;  playground,  18;  pool 
rooms,  76,  143,  182,  186;  rest 
rooms,  128,  132,  157,  163, 
175;  roof  garden,  144;  social 
hall,  10:  tennis,  161,  187; 
theatricals,  144,  186;  vaca- 
tions, 106,  112,  135. 

Rest  rooms,  128,  132,  157,  163, 
175. 

Roof  garden,  144. 


Savings  society,  165, 
Seats,  6,  120,  158. 
Sewing    classes,    75,    122.    185. 
189. 


204 


INDEX. 


Sherwin     Williams     Company, 

131. 
Shepard  Company,  112. 
Sick,    care    of,    xii.,    16,    23-26, 
35,  42,  99,  107,  112,  145,  157, 
159.  190-194. 
Siegel-Cooper  Company,   105. 
Social  clubs,  159,  162,  183. 
Social  hall.  10. 

Social  secretary,  viii.,  2,  26,  29, 
30,  32.  36,  53,  85,  86,  105,  112, 
115,  117,  167. 
Societies  —  Benefit :  Compul- 
pulsory.  42,  107,  190;  volun- 
tary, 25,  26,  50-53,  99,  112, 
135,  146,  159-162;  coopera- 
tive association,  31,  38,  40; 
educational  clubs,  58,  183; 
fire  brigade,  59;  foremen's 
club,  159-162;  girls  club,  14; 
insurance,  137;  lunch  club, 
57;  men's  club,  45;  Men's 
Welfare  League,  121 ;  phil- 
anthropic society,  187;  sav- 
ings' society,  165;  secret 
orders,  103;  social  clubs, 
159-162,  183;  women's  clubs, 
123. 
Solvay    Process    Company,    81, 

102,  185. 
Stanley    Electric    Manufactur- 
ing Company,  114. 
Stedman,  E.  A..  134. 
Stevens,  J.  E..  60,  109. 
Suggestions.  ZZ,  122.  157,  165. 
Surroundings :     Mill     environ- 
ment, 6;   homes,  41,   50,   52, 
122;  factory,  120,  156;  lunch 
room,  163;  dormitories,  187. 

Talks:  By  employees,   133;  by 

foremen,  162. 
Technical    instruction,    15,    17, 

31,  45,  58,  149,  181-183. 


Tennis,   i6i,  187. 
Theatricals,  144,  186. 
Titsworth,  D.  E.,   125-129. 
Toilet  rooms,  xi.,  5,  28.  43.  44, 

53,  136,  155,  177. 
Towson,  Charles  R.,  80. 
Transportation,  46. 

U.   S.   Playing  Card  Co..  The, 
46. 

Vacations,  106,  108,  112,  135. 
Ventilation,    ii.,   xi.,    5,   44,   46, 

53,    114,    120,    131,    148,    151, 

175,  177- 
Vreeland,  H.  H.,  i,  138,  173. 

Wanamaker,  John,  167, 
Warburton,   G.   A.,  80.  87.  90, 

91. 
Wash  rooms,  28.  43,  44.  53.  136. 

155,  176,  177,  179- 
Welfare    Department    National 

Civic    Federation,    v.,    viii.  : 

membership,      xvii.,      xxiii. ; 

scope     and     purpose,     xxv.. 

xxvi.,   I,   2;   its   organization 

and  meetings. 
Welfare    manager,     vii.,    viii. : 

need  of,  4.  163-165. 
Wells  Fargo  &  Co.,  134. 
Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Com- 
pany, 47. 
Westinghouse      Electcic      and 

Manufacturing  Company,  175. 
Wheeler,  Elizabeth  C.    (Mrs.), 

84,  112. 
Women's  clubs,  123. 

Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, 48,  75,  113,  138,  143. 

Young  Women's  Christian  As- 
sociation, 49,  78. 


INDEX. 
ILLUSTRATIONS 


^05 


An  "  Inn,"  192. 
Auditorium,  188. 

Baths  :  Shower,  xxiv. ;  bathing 
beach,  8;  shower,  44;  foun- 
dry individual  wash  rooms, 
176;  shower,  178. 

Bicycle  shed,  28. 

Bowling  alley,  140. 

Boys'  gardens,  124, 

Changing  house,  44. 

Cigar  stand,  140. 

Club  houses,  xvi.,  76,  180,  188. 

Cooking  school  class,  188. 

Dancing  party,  124. 

Dormitory  for  Superintendent 
of  Welfare  Work  and  As- 
sistants, 192. 

Dressing  rooms,  44,  136. 

Drinking  water  fountain  in  a 
shop,  178. 

Field  day,  20. 

Firemen's  dormitory,  180. 

Gymnasium,  xxiv. 

Hospitals,  24,  132. 

Houses :  Rented  to  employees, 
8 ;  surroundings  beautified, 
52;  rented  to  employees,  64; 
property  outside  company's 
control      occupied     by     em- 


ployees, 64;  tenements  rented 
to  employees,  68;  tenements 
outside  company's  control 
occupied  by  employees,  68. 

Kitchens,   196. 

Libraries,  8,  76,  188. 

Locker  room,  168. 

Lunch  rooms :  For  men,  12 ; 
for  women,  56;  prepared  for 
foremen's  dinner,  100;  in  a 
city  factory,  i\6;  department 
store,  128;  for  women,  164, 

Operatic  performance,  144. 

Pool  room,  y6. 

Recreation  rooms,  100,  128. 
Rest  rooms,  128,  132. 
Roof  garden,  144. 

Seats  for  women,  160. 

Vacation  cottage,  108. 

Ventilation:  Rolling  mill,  es- 
pecial provision  for  relief  of 
the  men,  ii. ;  Grinding  room, 
ii. 

Wash  rooms,  28,  44,  136,  176. 
Window  space  of  two  factory 
buildings,  148. 


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